Why the inflation in legislation on women’s bodies

This dissertation argues that historical patriarchal theories have crept into the world’s legal systems to date, and as a result this has led to inflation in legislation upon women’s bodies. The author seeks to prove that patriarchal theories have become part of our social and legal institutions to date, resulting in unnecessary controls placed upon women’s bodies to the point that, women’s attempt to assert autonomy over their own bodies have been criminalised or placed under heavy civil penalties. The author suggests that this has been particularly so because, women have been relegated to the private sphere and as such, are underrepresented within the legislature, political arenas, the process passing legislation and the legal profession in general. As well as analysing the structure of the various social, legal and political institutions as they relate to the causes of inflation in legislation upon women’s bodies, the author investigates the medicalisation of women’s bodies which has led to over legislation with regards to: legislation and women’s attire, Indecent exposure and the breast, the treatment of military women with regards to their bodily autonomy and pregnancy.