Legal challenges and law reform efforts have proven to be a mixed bag of success. The contradictory role of the law as both a tool for social change and maintaining the status quo has never been more apparent. The paper uses examples of law reform efforts and legal challenges to discuss opportunities and challenges and highlight judicial attitudes, lack of understanding or rejection of international human rights standards and, inherent gender bias is responsible for the uncertain outcomes. After the initial successes of litigation that challenged laws that overtly discriminated against women, getting courts to understand and apply substantive equality has not been easy. Some reforms have benefited some groups, but growing inequalities between different groups of women are making a case for paying attention to intra-group dynamics and the impact of reforms to marginalised groups.