By Muhammed Ali Gurtas
ANKARA (AA) – Globally women are accorded only three-quarters of the legal rights that men enjoy, the World Bank said on Thursday.
The bank stated that this inequality constrains women's ability to get jobs or start businesses and make economic decisions that are best for them and their families.
“If women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it would be more prosperous as well,” World Bank Group Interim President Kristalina Georgieva said.
In a written statement, Georgieva said change is happening, but not fast enough.
“… And 2.7 billion women are still legally barred from having the same choice of jobs as men.
“It is paramount that we remove the barriers that hold women back, and with this report we aim to demonstrate that reforms are possible, and to accelerate change, ” she said.
Over the past ten years, the bank's study shows that 131 economies have made 274 reforms to laws and regulations that improve women’s economic inclusion.
“Achieving gender equality is not a short-term process, requiring strong political will and a concerted effort by governments, civil society, international organizations among others.
“But legal and regulatory reforms can play a foundational role as an important first step, ” it said.
The World Bank stated that 35 countries implemented legal protections against sexual harassment at work — protecting nearly two billion more women than a decade ago.
“Six economies – Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden – now hold perfect scores of 100, meaning they give women and men equal legal rights in the measured areas.
“A decade ago, no economy could make that claim, ” it said.
The bank also noted that despite these efforts, women in many parts of the world still face discriminatory laws and regulations at every point in their working life.
“Fifty-six countries — spanning all regions and income levels — enacted no reforms at all to improve women’s equality of opportunity over the ten-year period, ” it added.
