Laws still restrict women’s economic opportunities despite progress – a study finds
– Economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforcing gender inequalities
Kaieteur News – (World Bank) – Countries are leaning towards greater gender equality, but women around the world continue to face laws and regulations that limit their economic opportunity, with the COVID-19 pandemic posing challenges new to their health, safety, and economic security, says a new World Bank report.
Reforms to remove barriers to women’s economic inclusion have been slow and uneven in many regions, according to Women, Business and Law 2021. On average, men have only three-quarters of the legal rights granted to men women. Women were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic, and government initiatives to cushion some of its effects, though innovative, have been limited in several countries, the report said.
“Women need to be fully included in economies to achieve better development outcomes,” said David Malpass, World Bank Group President. “Despite progress in many countries, there have been turbulent reversals in a few, including restricting women’s travel without the consent of a male guardian. This pandemic has exacerbated the current inequalities that disadvantage girls and women, including barriers to attending school and maintaining jobs. Women also face rising domestic violence and health and safety challenges. Women should have the same access to funding and the same rights to inheritance as men and must be at the center of our efforts towards an inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “
Women, Business and Law 2021, measures the laws and regulations across eight areas affecting women’s economic opportunities in 190 countries, covering the period September 2019 to October 2020. From the basics of movement in the community to the challenges of working, parenting, and retiring, the data offers objective and measurable benchmarks for global progress toward gender equality. Following the outbreak of the pandemic, this report also looks at government responses to the COVID-19 crisis and how the pandemic has affected women at work and at home, focusing on childcare, access to and justice, and health and safety.
Overall, the report finds that many governments have put measures in place to address some of the effects of the pandemic on working women. For example, less than a quarter of all economies surveyed in the report legally guaranteed paid parents any time off for childcare before the pandemic. Since then, in light of school closures, nearly 40 additional economies around the world have introduced leave or benefit policies to help parents with childcare. However, these measures are likely to be insufficient to address the challenges that many working mothers already face, or the childcare crisis.
The pandemic has also contributed to an increase in the severity and frequency of gender-based violence. Preliminary research shows that since the beginning of 2020, governments have introduced about 120 new measures including helplines, psychological assistance, and refuges to protect women from violence. Some governments also took steps to provide access to justice in several ways, including urgent declaration of family cases at closing and allowing remote court proceedings for family matters. However, governments have scope to implement measures and policies aimed at addressing the root causes of this violence.
“While it is encouraging that many countries have taken proactive steps to help women navigate the pandemic, it is clear that more work is needed, particularly in improving parental leave and equalizing pay,” said Mari Pangestu, Manager Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, The World Bank. “Countries need to create a legal environment that enhances women’s economic inclusion, so that they can make the best choices for themselves and their families.”
Despite the pandemic, 27 economies in each region and income group enacted reforms across all areas and increased good practice in legislation in 45 cases during the year under review, the report found. The largest number of reforms introduced or amended laws affecting pay and parenthood.
However, parenting is also the area that leaves the most room for improvement globally. This includes paid parental leave, whether the government administers benefits, and whether the dismissal of pregnant women is prohibited. Reforms are also needed to address the limitations women face in the kind of jobs, tasks, and hours they can work, separating them into lower paid jobs. And in 100 economies, laws do not mandate that men and women be paid the same for equally valuable jobs.
Achieving legal gender equality requires a concerted effort by governments, civil society and international organizations, among others. But legal and regulatory reforms can be an important catalyst for improving the lives of women as well as their families and communities. Improved performance in the areas measured by Women, Business and Law is linked to narrowing the gender gap in development outcomes, increased women’s participation in the workforce, lower vulnerable employment, and increased representation of women in parliaments national.