The Government and the opposition have both declared their intent to increase the number of women elected to public office, but little progress has been made since these declarations. Government officials are very cooperative and responsive to their views. The law prohibits discrimination based on the above listed factors, and the Government and an independent judiciary vigorously enforce the prohibition. Women Social analysts and commentators estimate that domestic violence may affect as many as one family in three or four. Government statisticians stress that, because of underreporting and the lack of an agreed method for collecting statistics, it is impossible to provide an accurate national profile of the number of women who are victims of domestic violence.
Women have equal status under the law, and the law provides for pay equity.
There are highly organised and effective private and public women's rights organisations at the federal, state and local levels. There is a federal-level Office of the Status of Women which monitors women's rights. The Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner receives complaints and attempts to resolve those that are deemed valid. A 1994 U.N. report estimated that women receive approximately 90 percent of wages paid to men for substantially similar work. A government-funded advisory body reported in 1994 that women face systemic discrimination within the legal system.