sentences than for other categories of offence: of the 305 such women in custody on 30 June 1988, 30 per cent were serving sentences of up to three years and 34 per cent, sentences of between 4 to 10 years. The foreign nationals were deported at the end of their sentences. 29. In relation to article 4 of the Convention, information had been requested on positive action in the United Kingdom. In order to encourage women to enter non-traditional areas of work, the Sex Discrimination Act exempted from its provisions special-access training for such work, and similar exemptions applied for other forms of encouragement, such as targeted advertising, although the Act explicitly forbade discrimination at the point of selection. Special training could also be given for those (predominantly women) returning to work after a period of discharging domestic responsibilities, and many such courses now existed. Other exemptions allowed positive action for women in respect of trade unions, political parties and some voluntary bodies. 30. With reference to article 5 of the Convention and activities that might be degrading to women, her Government favoured tightening the Obscene Publications Act 1959 to cover material grossly offensive to a reasonable person, the revision to be made on the basis of research on the effects of pornography. The test of obscenity under the 1959 Act was whether the overall effect of the material was to "deprave and corrupt", although the term was not defined. The courts, however, had held in 1972 that the words "deprave and corrupt" referred to the effect on the mind, including the emotions, and that it was not necessary that any physical sexual activity should result. 31. The Advertising Standards Authority had just completed a major study about women in advertising and would very soon be publishing a comprehensive report - a 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing issues related to women's rights and gender equality in the United Kingdom, specifically in the context of laws and policies aimed at promoting women's empowerment and protection from degrading activities. The text mentions the Sex Discrimination Act, the Obscene Publications Act, and the Advertising Standards Authority, which suggests a focus on social and economic issues rather than purely scientific or technological ones.

**Category**
Employment, Health