This volume focuses on conceptions of equality and looks at how different
constitutional systems - plural, secular, theocratic or socialist -- approach
the issue of equality in different spheres of activity. The question it raises
is: what does the right to equality mean for women under these differing
constitutional provisions? At one end of the spectrum lies theocratic Malaysia
which has a hybrid constitution, neither Islamic nor secular; at the other end
is China with its secular socialist constitution which recognizes neither
religion nor custom in its legal regime. India, simultaneously secular but
recognizing personal laws, falls in the middle, while Nepal presents a
fascinating example of a