Equality before the law is one of the pillars of a democracy.
From the Latin aequalĭtas , equality is the correspondence and proportion resulting from many parts that make up a uniform whole . The term allows us to name the conformity of something with another thing in its form, quantity, quality or nature .
In the field of mathematics , an equality is an equivalence of two expressions or quantities. These factors, to be equal, must have the same value. For example: A+B = C+D is true if A=2, B=3, C=4 and D=1 , among other cases. Thus, 2+3 equals 4+1 . Both expressions have the same value per result ( 5 ).
Social equality
Social equality is known as the context or situation where people have the same rights and the same opportunities in a certain aspect or at a general level. Sex equality or gender equality refers to standardizing existing opportunities so that they can be distributed fairly between men and women.
What is known as equal opportunities is therefore very important. With it, what is established is that for a society to have a fair system, it must allow all individuals to have the same political and civil rights. But not only that, everyone also has to have identical possibilities to be able to access what would be social welfare.
Gender equality implies, among other issues, that women and men have access to the same opportunities.
The case of a Spanish law
It is interesting to highlight that in Spain one of the most important laws of recent years at all levels is the Law for the effective equality of women and men. In 2007, the Cortes Generales approved this legislation which, among other things, establishes the principle of balanced presence of men and women not only in the appointments of public powers but also in the electoral lists presented by political parties.
However, it also establishes the equality of both genders in the different media, protects workers from sexual harassment and advocates for equality when it comes to accessing employment as well as in terms of training, working conditions or professional promotion.
Here the term equal pay takes on special importance. Under this name, it is established that all individuals who perform similar jobs must receive the same salary regardless of their sex, race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation . If this does not occur, it is clear that what is being established is a latent and palpable discrimination.
Race equality and equality before the law
Race equality is another form of equality: this notion maintains that all people should enjoy the same rights so that discrimination does not exist. In South Africa , during the apartheid era, racial equality was not achieved and the black population was exploited by whites.
Equality before the law is a principle that recognizes that all citizens are entitled to the same rights. It is evident that, if there is no equality of races, there is no equality before the law. This concept also assumes that Justice does not prejudge.