WOMEN,BUSINESS ANDTHE LAW 2018

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Paula Tavares & Tanya Primiani

Malabo, Guinea Ecuatorial

November X, 2018

THE LAW IS A

STRAIGHT LINE

FOR MEN, BUT

FOR WOMEN

IT’S A MAZE

MEASURING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE LAW

FOR 10 YEARS

2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

In its fifth edition, Women, Business and the Law 2018 expands

its analysis to 189 economies

THE SEVEN WOMEN, BUSINESS AND THE LAW INDICATORS

For the first time, each economy is assigned a score at the

indicator level, ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best)

Accessing

institutions

Getting

a job

Providing

Incentives to work

Protecting women

from violence

Using property Going to court Building credit

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROMOTES

GROWTH & BOOSTS SHARED PROSPERITY

$28 trillion

can be added to

global growth by

advancing

women’s equality

Spending on early education &

childcare can increase women’s

labor force participation and

reduce gender gaps

The gender asset gap can

undermine women’s bargaining

power & capacity to engage in

economic activities

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC RIGHTS & HUMAN

RIGHTS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Equality in all matters relating to marriage

and family relations, including the right to

choose a profession and an occupation

(Art. 16)

Can a woman legally get a job or

pursue a trade or profession in

the same way as a man?

CEDAW

Freedom from discrimination in the field of

employment; Right to work; Free choice

of profession and employment (Art. 11)Are women able to work in the

same industries as men?

SCORED QUESTIONS

Does the law prohibit

discrimination based on gender

in access to credit?

Freedom from discrimination in economic

life and access to bank loans, mortgages

and other forms of financial credit on

equal basis with men (Art. 13)

1 IN 3 ECONOMIES RESTRICT WOMEN’S FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OR AGENCY

ACTIONS THAT WOMEN CANNOT LEGALLY

PERFORM IN THE SAME WAY AS MEN IN SSA

1

1

3

5

12

16

Register a business

Travel outside of the home

Open a bank account

Apply for a national IDcard

Apply for a passport

Be head of household

Benin; Cameroon;

Congo, Rep.; Mauritius;

Namibia

Chad; Guinea-

Bissau; Niger

Sudan

Guinea-

Bissau

Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Comoros; Congo, Dem. Rep.;

Congo, Rep.; Gabon; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau Libya; Madagascar; Mali; Mauritania;

Niger; Senegal; Sudan;

Benin; Botswana; Cameroon; Congo, Rep.; Gabon; Malawi;

Mali; Nigeria; Seychelles; Sudan; Uganda; Zambia

9SUB-SAHARAN

AFRICAECONOMIES

REQUIRE WOMEN TO GET THEIR

HUSBANDS’ PERMISSION TO

WORK

24%

17%

Accessing institutions score 100(110 economies)

Accessing institutions score < 100(62 economies)

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%)

WHERE LAWS LIMIT WOMEN’S DECISION-MAKING

ABILITIES, THERE ARE LESS WOMEN LEADERS

31 ECONOMIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA CONSTRAIN WOMEN’S PROPERTY RIGHTS

9 SUB- SAHARAN AFRICAN ECONOMIES PREVENT DAUGHTERS FROM INHERITING THE SAME PROPORTION OF

ASSETS AS SONS

WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO HOLD LEADERSHIP

POSITIONS IN BUSINESS WHEN THEY LACK

PROPERTY RIGHTS

21%

14%

Using property score 100(74 economies)

Using property score < 100(47 economies)

Firms with a female top manager (%)

24 ECONOMIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA BAR WOMEN FROM HAVING THEIR CHOICE

OF JOBS

GENDER EQUALITY IN LABOR LAW IS ASSOCIATED

WITH MORE WOMEN WORKING & EARNING MORE

RELATIVE TO MEN

Getting a job score Getting a job score

La

bo

r fo

rce

pa

rtic

ipa

tio

n r

ate

, fe

ma

le-t

o-m

ale

ra

tio

Estim

ate

d e

arn

ed inco

me

, fe

ma

le-t

o-m

ale

ratio

NONDISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT CAN ENCOURAGE THE

ENTRY OF WOMEN INTO THE WORKFORCE

13 ECONOMIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA DO NOT

LEGALLY PROHIBIT SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK

WHERE SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS PROHIBITED,

THERE ARE MORE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

68%

31%

Yes No

Is there legislation addressing sexual harassment in employment?

Firms with majority female ownership (%)

19 ECONOMIES IN SSA DO NOT HAVE

LAWS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Domestic violence

legislation is a key

first step towards

ensuring women’s

protection

Worldwide nearly

1 in 3 women have

experienced physical

or sexual violence

from an intimate

partnerWHO 2013

In Economies where there is a

high prevalence of violence

against women,

women are less likely to have

formal accounts, savings or

credit

EVERY 2

SECONDS

A GIRL

BECOMES

A CHILD

BRIDEPlan International

UNEQUAL TREATMENT IN COURT CAN UNDERMINE

WOMEN’S LEGAL CAPACITY

23 COUNTRIES DO NOT HAVE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

COMMISSIONS

COST AND AVAILABILITY OF CARE

FOR YOUNG CHILDREN CAN AFFECT

WHETHER A MOTHER WORKS

OUTSIDE THE HOME

21ECONOMIES

MADE 33 REFORMSTOWARD

GREATER GENDER

EQUALITY

Economies with Reforms

OVERALL, SSA HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST

PERCENTAGE OF REFORMING ECONOMIES

50%

45% 44%

40%

30%

25%

16%

South Asia Sub-SaharanAfrica

Europe &Central Asia

East Asia &Pacific

Middle East &North Africa

Latin America& Caribbean

OECD highincome

Pe

rcen

tage

of

eco

no

mie

s

GENDER

QUOTAS IN

POLITICS &

BUSINESS

12ECONOMIES

HAVE QUOTAS FOR WOMEN IN

NATIONAL PARLIAMENT

NO ECONOMY IN SSA HAVE QUOTAS FOR WOMEN ON

CORPORATE BOARDS

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