Publisher's Synopsis
The book examines the legal control exercised over the female body and the motivation behind that control. Through an exploration of the concept of 'body politics', the book examines the way in which law interacts with women?s bodies in areas of reproduction such as abortion, sterilization and reproductive technologies, in the treatment of disordered eating, in the practice of female circumcision and in the field of employment. Consideration is further given to areas in which the law is more wary of engaging with the female body, notably in the area of rape, violence perpetrated on women and in the field of human rights. In advocating strategies to deal with and counter law?s treatment of women's bodies, the book aims to promote the audibility of women?s voices in the legal process.
