Cultural relativism, which argues that there are no universal human rights and that rights are culture-specific and culturally determined, is still a formidable and corrosive challenge to womens’ rights to equality and dignity in all facets of their lives.
Reject specific legal, cultural, or religious practices by which women are
- systematically discriminated against,
- excluded from political participation and public life,
- segregated in their daily lives,
- raped in armed conflict,
- beaten in their homes,
- denied equal divorce or inheritance rights,
- killed for having sex,
- forced to marry,
- assaulted for not conforming to gender norms and
- sold into forced labor
Arguments that sustain and excuse these human rights abuses – those of cultural norms, “appropriate” rights for women, or western imperialism – barely disguise their true meaning: that womens’ lives matter less than mens’.
