Women, Business and the Law Index

March 9, 2023

According to the recently released Women, Business and the Law Index by the World Bank, although most countries have implemented laws to ensure gender equality, there is still a significant gap between men and women in terms of legal rights and provisions. The report revealed that the global pace of reforms towards gender equality has fallen to a 20-year low.

What is Women, Business and the Law Index?

The Women, Business and the Law Index rates laws and regulations related to women in 190 countries. The assessment encompasses 8 areas concerning women’s economic participation. These are mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pensions.

Key Findings

India scored 74.4 out of a total possible 100. Unfortunately, India’s score was less than that of other countries such as Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nepal, and Congo. While this is higher than the South Asian region’s average of 63.7, it is lower than Nepal’s 80.6. The index covered a total of 190 economies. Of these only 14 scored 100. They were Sweden, Spain, Luxembourg, Latvia, Canada, Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, etc. As you can see they are all European countries except for Canada.

Highest Growth

Good growth was witnessed in MENA countries. MENA countries are the Middle East and North African countries. The MENA countries that witnessed good growth were Congo, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and Ghana.

Report on the current status of women

Only 77% of the women in the world enjoy legal rights. Around 2.4 billion women in the world are living in countries that do not grant equal legal rights as that men.

Report on India

According to the report, India is lagging behind in terms of gender equality due to the laws on pay, inheritance, and property rights. India’s score was higher that the South Asian region’s average, which was 63.7. India’s score was lower than Nepal which scored 80.6.

« Previous PostNext Post »