As we have learned in this module, there are divisions in feminist legal theory. These divisions mean that theorists have different ideas about the nature of the gender inequality and different ideas about how the law should address this inequality.
Historically, one of the divsions has been between equal treatment feminist (also known as liberal feminist) and cultural feminist (also known as difference feminist) approaches to creating gender equality under the law. This is described throughout the readings and the lectures.
Your task in this essay is to apply these approaches to the analysis of the workplace context and rule described below. To make this essay easier, divide it into three parts. First, state why liberal feminist legal theorists would either approve or disapprove (it is one or the other) of the rule and why they might believe that their position fosters gender equality in the workplace and outside of it. Second, state why cultural feminist legal theorists would either approve or diapprove (it is one or the other) of the rule and why they might believe that their position fosters gender equality in the workplace and outside of it. Third, briefly (this might only be a paragraph) state which position you most agree with and why. You MUST CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER and ACKNOWLEDGE BOTH THE BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF YOUR APPROACH. Thus, this assignment is aimed at helping you to understand these two different approaches to gender equality under the law by applying these approaches to a particular case.
All papers should be approximately 1000 words. USE TEXT ENTRY ONLY.
Here is the context and the rule:
Acme industries operates a car battery manufacturing plant in Fresno. To work on the production line workers do not have to have a high school diploma, nor do they need to be fluent in English. Starting pay is $25 an hour. In the manufacturing process, the element lead is a primary ingredient. Occupational exposure to lead entails health risks, including the risk of harm to any fetus carried by a female employee. For safety reasons, the employer prohibits women of child bearing age from working on the production line.
