LESSONS ON GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT president does not act, the reputations of all three bodies—the court, the executive and legislature—are damaged. And even in less extreme cases, the cause of gender equality and women’s empowerment is one that must be recognized and enforced at every level of society—from the household to the workplace to the community to the legislature—for all people to realize their right to live “free and equal in dignity and rights.” Without that societal and institutional commitment, victories in court, no matter how well-argued and well deserved, will be pyrrhic. 17