Which Countries Score the Worst for Women's Rights?
Provided by HG.org
While American women are generally treated with little distinction from men under American law, it has not always been so. Indeed, it is still not this way in many parts of the world. A recent survey of countries ranked the legal standing of women in various nations and compiled a list of the nations with the most legal distinctions between the rights of men versus those of women.
According to “Women, Business, and the Law”, a study conducted by the World Bank, Saudi Arabia tops the list of countries for laws that limit women's economic potential, while South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa have made the least progress over the last 50 years in improving women's economic opportunities. Generally, there has been a significant trend toward improving women's rights over the last 50 years. But, in 90 of the 143 nations surveyed, at least one law remains on the books to bar women from certain jobs, opening a bank account, accessing capital, or making decisions independently from a male.
28 countries make 10 or more legal distinctions between the rights of men and women, 14 of these countries are in the Middle East and North Africa, and another 11 are in sub-Saharan Africa.
The World Bank report shows that when there is a gender gap in legal rights, fewer women own their own businesses and experience greater income inequality. World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim commented that "When women and men participate in economic life on an equal footing, they can contribute their energies to building a more cohesive society and more resilient economy."
Kim has set a priority for the World Bank of ending extreme poverty by 2030. Many experts view economically empowering women as crucial to achieving that goal, since women usually have the primary responsibility for the family. Women's economic inclusion helps improve household incomes, leading to healthier children who are, in turn, more likely to attend school and who then raise themselves from poverty, as well.
While countries everywhere have started to remove legal obstacles to women's economic participation, that progress has been uneven. In Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, legal restrictions have been cut in half since 1960, but the Middle East region shows the least progress and some countries have even gone backwards. For example, Yemen and Egypt removed legal bans on gender discrimination, while Iran has allowed husbands to prevent their wives from working, placed restrictions on women's mobility, and limited their work in the judicial sector. About 25% of the countries included in the survey have no laws addressing domestic violence (the Middle East and North Africa again had the least protections). Indeed, Algeria and Morocco were the only countries in these regions to have laws addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Nevertheless, opportunities worldwide for women have improved in the last two years. 44 of the 143 countries surveyed had improved economic opportunities for women between April 2011 and April 2013 (the time period the report covered), with no new restrictions imposed.
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Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
28 countries make 10 or more legal distinctions between the rights of men and women, 14 of these countries are in the Middle East and North Africa, and another 11 are in sub-Saharan Africa.
The World Bank report shows that when there is a gender gap in legal rights, fewer women own their own businesses and experience greater income inequality. World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim commented that "When women and men participate in economic life on an equal footing, they can contribute their energies to building a more cohesive society and more resilient economy."
Kim has set a priority for the World Bank of ending extreme poverty by 2030. Many experts view economically empowering women as crucial to achieving that goal, since women usually have the primary responsibility for the family. Women's economic inclusion helps improve household incomes, leading to healthier children who are, in turn, more likely to attend school and who then raise themselves from poverty, as well.
While countries everywhere have started to remove legal obstacles to women's economic participation, that progress has been uneven. In Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, legal restrictions have been cut in half since 1960, but the Middle East region shows the least progress and some countries have even gone backwards. For example, Yemen and Egypt removed legal bans on gender discrimination, while Iran has allowed husbands to prevent their wives from working, placed restrictions on women's mobility, and limited their work in the judicial sector. About 25% of the countries included in the survey have no laws addressing domestic violence (the Middle East and North Africa again had the least protections). Indeed, Algeria and Morocco were the only countries in these regions to have laws addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Nevertheless, opportunities worldwide for women have improved in the last two years. 44 of the 143 countries surveyed had improved economic opportunities for women between April 2011 and April 2013 (the time period the report covered), with no new restrictions imposed.
Copyright HG.org - Google+
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
