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Kenya: Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally Don’t Have Same Economic Rights As Men

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4 years ago

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Nairobi — Around 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity compared to men, according to the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2022 report.

According to the report, in 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction and 95 countries do not guarantee equal pay for equal work.

Further, 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent the full economic participation of women.

“While progress has been made, the gap between men’s and women’s expected lifetime earnings globally is US$172 trillion – nearly two times the world’s annual GDP,” said Mari Pangestu, World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships.

“As we move forward to achieve green, resilient and inclusive development, governments need to accelerate the pace of legal reforms so that women can realize their full potential and benefit fully and equally.”

Globally, women still have only three-quarters of the legal rights afforded to men — an aggregate score of 76.5 out of a possible 100, which denotes complete legal parity.

However, despite the disproportionate effect on women’s lives and livelihood from the global pandemic, 23 countries reformed their laws in 2021 to take much-needed steps towards advancing women’s economic inclusion, according to the report.

The Middle East and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa regions showed the largest improvements in the WBL Index in 2021, though they continue to lag behind other parts of the world overall.