Investigating the Social Exclusion This essay provides a context for the discussion of women’s social exclusion in contemporary Britain. It begins with an overview of the way in which social exclusion is defined. By weighing up the relevant literature the essay will then move on to discuss whether women’ social inclusion is possible in modern Britain. In order to do this the essay will begin with a discussion of social inclusion in terms of state intervention and legislation. The other areas of interest that have been explored and studied in great depth and which the essay will discuss in detail include the following, Employment, Housing, and Politics. In relation to these areas the essay will attempt to argue that although inclusion of women is desirable by many groups, for example feminists, men and the state, achievement still seems very unlikely. Despite the very many gains of women over the last two centuries gender differences and the persistence of inequalities between men and women still exist in modern Britain. Therefore, women, on the whole continue to be socially excluded and subordinate to men within contemporary society. On the one hand Social inclusion conveys a right to belong. On the other, social exclusion creates a group of people who are excluded from exercising the rights enjoyed by other citizens. The following, quite comprehensive, definition of social exclusion comes from the European Commission: ‘Social exclusion refers to the multiple and changing factors resulting in people being excluded from the normal exchanges, practices and rights of modern society. It also refers to inadequate rights in hous... ... middle of paper ... .... Payne, G (Ed) (2000) Social Divisions, Hampshire: Palgrave Publishers Ltd. Saraga, E (Ed) (1998) Embodying the Social: Constructions of Difference, London: Open University Press. Skellington, R (Ed) (2003 edition) ‘Shameful Britain has fewer MPs than Turkmenistan’, In: The Open University Press: Social Sciences Newspaper. Smith, P, J, (Ed) (2002) Policy Responses to Social Exclusion-Towards Inclusion? Berkshire: Open University Press. Walker, A, and Walker, C (Eds) (1996) Britain Divided: The Growth of Social Exclusion in the 1980s and 1990s, London: CPAG Publishers Ltd. INTERNET REFERENCES: http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk ( http://www.tuc.org.uk ( http://www.cpag.org.uk ( http://www.dfee.gov.uk ( http://www.gender.org.uk ( http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk (