“Eve Was Framed offers an impassioned, personal critique of the British legal system. Helena Kennedy focuses on the treatment of women in our courts - at the prejudices of judges, the misconceptions of jurors, the labyrinths of court procedures and the influence of the media. But the inequities she uncovers could apply equally to any disadvantaged group - to those whose cases are subtly affected by race, class poverty or politics, or who are burdened, even before they appear in court, by misleading stereotypes.”
What is the background for the issue in the book?
Helena Kennedy, the author, decided to write this book because she felt like most people didn’t actually know about the law and didn’t realise that, although the legal system in the UK is believed to be one of the fairest in the world, women still face a disadvantage during a trial. Everybody believes that judges are fair to everyone and that there is no discrimination in a court of law, however this is not the truth and in fact people are discriminated against even today and more people need to be aware of that.
What are the main arguments of the book?
One of the main arguments of the book is her opinion on the injustices that women, and other disadvantaged groups, face at court and talks about her experiences as a very successful female barrister and how she witnessed this treatment through her own eyes. She discussed how the law affects different groups in society. She focuses on not just how the law treats women, but how it treats specific groups of women that have further disadvantages: black poor women, women, and other groups. She discusses how badly they have been treated by our legal system and still are today.
Another argument of the book is how inequality is a huge problem and how to solve it. Helena Kennedy suggests that we need to recognise that the experiences that most women go through are very different to those of men and that the way to achieve equality is for the law to change to accommodate this problem. She discussed how important it is to attempt to solve inequality and solve injustice. However, it isn’t as easy as it seems and the most important thing is to focus on the underlying issue, which is people’s opinion on women and other people, who are often treated as if they were inferior.
One of the final arguments of the book is about what we truly want to change in society. Many people don’t fully understand what the aim of fighting for equality for women – do we want equality with men or to be treated fairly? Kennedy concludes that the best solution would be to aim for a fair society and how women need to be treated slightly differently to men, however, most importantly, equally. But equality doesn't mean the same, it means everyone should have the same opportunities and should be treated the same with some consideration to the differences between us. This would solve all problems, not just in the legal system but in society as a whole.
How significant area the arguments in the book?
In my opinion, the most significant argument is the final argument about whether we want equality with men or to be treated fairly. This is something that most people don’t fully understand when women say that they want equality. Some people believe that women and men can never be treated equality because they are different genders and some things can never be fully equal, such as sports. However, the main aim is for men and women to be treated fairly. This would be treating them slightly differently, but still allowing them to have the same freedom and to reach the same things in life. Mainly, women, or men, shouldn’t be discriminated against at court and we should all have the right to a fair trial.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
