Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply @mattclarke! I actually tend to be on "less is more" team when it comes to regulations as well. But then I can see both sides that if there aren't laws to protect certain classes - then they would get walked over even more.

I tend to think that the people hold the true power to change anyway. So, even if there is no law saying that people should be treated equally in an interview - that would naturally start to happen as more and more people evolve their way of thinking. If a certain company was prejudcied towards women - then hopefully that would eventually get out and people would stop patronizing that establishment. Hence their business would suffer, not based on laws, but based on what consumers are demanding (equal rights).

I think we are a long ways from that being the case - but I think we are getting there. Social change takes time and I guess that's part of the empathy thing. Understanding that not everyone who is "anti-feminist" is a bad person, but that they have their opinions based on their own life experiences.

I totally see the same thing happening with the #meetoo movement as well. Men are nervous about what they say and do around women. I almost feel like it is more of a "growing pain" kind of thing though. They were confronted with new information and are trying to figure out how to act with that new information.