Although any person can experience difficulties in using the justice system, special factors affect women as a group. These include domestic assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and employment discrimination. Women of all social classes and cultural backgrounds are affected. Women as a group also still have the major responsibility for raising children and housework. To pursue their rights, they have to enter an arena where men have historically had control and have made the rules. In addition, most women have less money than men. Therefore, Australia needs a national, coordinated response that focuses on health, legal representation, legal advice and referral, community legal education, law reform, and research. Figures, footnotes, table of cases, appended list of persons submitting information to the Law Reform Commission, and 85 references