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Yvonne Roberts writes that tougher laws are needed if discrimination and prejudice are to be overcome.

A remake is planned of The Stepford Wives. In the 1975 version, uppity women were turned into robotic dutiful spouses who obeyed their husbands' every bidding.

In an era when the changing expectations of men and women are confusing, contradictory and nigh on impossible to fulfil, stepping back in time holds an obvious attraction, if, one ignores the fact that the foundations that anchored this hierarchy of power in place - traditional morality and the supremacy of the male breadwinner - have crumbled away.

French philosopher Jacques Ellul in his 1960s book, Propaganda, pointed out that effective propaganda deals not in lies but in variations of the truth - half-truths, truth taken out of context, and limited truths. According to Ellul, the better educated the audience, and the more atomised the society in which they live, the more likely the message will hit home.

In the case of women, the half-truth is that they have emancipation - and the "rewards" are stress and permanent exhaustion. The whole truth is that the management of huge cultural change and the recognition of the value of diversity requires strong clear laws and much tougher penalties. Sadly, we lack both.

Alongside legislation outlawing discrimination on grounds of race, gender and disability, a new EU directive will shortly also ban discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religion and age. Ridiculously, the latter three will apply only in the workplace, not in goods, facilities and services such as housing, health and education. Barbara Roche, the Cabinet Office minister, has initiated a six-month consultation to discuss the idea of a single equality commission.

Companies require a workforce that reflects the diversity of the markets and the customers they wish to attract. So, some large private businesses are driving through anti-discrimination policies and overhauling management criteria, asking why, for instance, there is a trend for bright Indian males to do well at university but 10 years into employment they are far behind their white counterparts.

The answer is prejudice. And the cost is reflected not only in a desperate waste of talent but also in the dangerous fracturing of society.

A single equality commission will only be effective if it has razor sharp teeth and it strengthens its alliance with the progressive private sector. Then, there might be just a chance that the white, male, middle-class establishment will begin to change its ways.