Gender Equality Policies

As I read through the "Women, Business and the Law 2024" report, I couldn't help but be moved (thought not surprised) by its findings. Despite the advances we see or some privileged ones like me feel, the gap between men's and women's legal rights and their practical implementation is startling. It's clear that achieving gender equality requires more than just legal reforms; it demands a societal shift towards recognizing and valuing women's contributions in all spheres of life, especially #safety and #childcare. Reflecting on my journey, I recognize that I couldn't have reached where I am today without safety and childcare support. The assurance of a #safeenvironment, #free from #violence and #harassment, has allowed me to focus and thrive professionally without #fear. Simultaneously, access to reliable childcare solutions has been a game-changer, enabling me to #balance the demands of #career and #family with confidence. These supports not only enabled my personal growth but also underscored the vital role of societal structures in #empowering #women to pursue their aspirations without compromise. The “Women, Business and the Law 2024” report The World Bank underscores significant legal and practical #barriers to women’s #economicparticipation and highlights the need for comprehensive reforms to ensure #genderequality in the #workplace and beyond. This year’s edition introduces these two critical indicators, #Safety and #Childcare, to better assess the global landscape of #womensrights. Here are the key findings: 1. Legal Frameworks vs. Reality: Women on average have two-thirds the legal rights of men, revealing a glaring gap between legal provisions and their practical implementation. Economies have established less than two-fifths of the supportive frameworks necessary for full implementation. 2. Safety and Childcare: The report for the first time measures the legal protections women need from domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, and femicide, finding that women globally have only a third of the necessary legal protection. Additionally, it highlights the lack of laws regulating childcare, with women spending significantly more time on unpaid care work than men. 3. Economic Consequences: The absence of gender equality in law and practice not only hampers women’s economic empowerment but also stifles overall economic growth. Closing gender gaps could significantly boost the global economy. 4. Call to Action: The findings call for urgent and comprehensive legal reforms, implementation mechanisms, and societal changes to eliminate gender disparities and ensure women’s full economic participation. #GenderEquality #EconomicEmpowerment #imdimpact

I found myself at Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the bell was about to ring.. Usually it marks the opening of markets. Today it felt like it should ring for something larger: women’s equal rights. Standing there, surrounded by screens and numbers that represent the global economy, one thought became unavoidable. Behind these market figures lies another set of numbers we rarely see. Globally, women still earn around 20% less than men for work of equal value. They receive roughly 77 cents for every dollar men earn while carrying 2.5 times more unpaid care work. Women hold only about 27% of parliamentary seats and around 30% of management positions. At the current pace, full gender equality could still be more than a century away. The deeper picture is even more concerning. Hundreds of millions of women and girls may still live in extreme poverty by 2030. Women worldwide have only about two-thirds of the legal rights men have, and nearly one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. And yet we also know something powerful: when women thrive, economies grow, societies stabilize and democracies become stronger. So the real question is not whether change is possible. The question is whether we choose to make it happen. If the opening bell of the Börse stands for opportunity, then the coming decade must stand for action: real pay transparency, equal access to capital, stronger representation in leadership and politics, and serious investment in education, childcare and digital inclusion. Equality is not a women’s issue. It is an economic, leadership and future issue. As the bell rang in Frankfurt this morning, one thought remained: markets are discussed every day, We should be too.

Rethinking Gender Neutrality in Law: A Call for Constitutional Equality Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court highlighted a critical gap in Section 376 of the IPC, noting its lack of gender neutrality. A woman deceiving a man under a false promise of marriage cannot be prosecuted, while a man can for the same act. This raises profound legal and constitutional implications. Legal Impact: Section 376’s gender-specific nature may violate Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination), denying men equal protection when victimized. Judicial reinterpretation or legislative reform could expand its scope to address all exploitation equally. Constitutional Perspective: Articles 14, 15, and 21 demand fairness, dignity, and protection for all. Precedents like Navtej Singh Johar and Joseph Shine signal a judicial push for gender-neutral laws, though balancing historical gender disparities remains a challenge. Way Forward: A gender-neutral framework could strengthen public trust in justice, requiring careful reform to align with India’s constitutional ethos as of August 04, 2025. Let’s spark a discussion: How can we ensure laws evolve to reflect true equality? #GenderEquality #LawReform #ConstitutionalLaw #JusticeForAll #LegalInsights

Globally, 36% of working women are employed in agrifood systems – the figure is about 70% in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. But participation does not mean equality. Examples: - In more than 40% of reporting countries, men are twice as likely as women to have ownership or secure tenure rights over agricultural land. - Women in agricultural wage employment earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. - The gender gap in land productivity between farms managed by women and men of the same size is about 24%. These reflect structural constraints. When such a large share of agrifood systems workforce lack secure land rights, access to inputs, extension, finance, or digital tools, productivity suffers and resilience weakens. During the first year of COVID-19, 22% of women lost jobs in off-farm agrifood work compared to just 2% of men. Eliminating the gender gap in farm productivity and wages could raise global GDP by nearly $1 trillion and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million. This is not just about equality; it’s about economic efficiency and reducing systemic risk in agrifood systems.   Bar chart: Legal barriers to women's land rights: gaps, implications and opportunities for reform (Source: SOFA 2025)

In honor of International Women's Day let's reflect on equality in financial services. The U.S. has made progress, but we've still got work to do: 💰 It wasn't until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) of 1974 that women in the U.S. could independently obtain a credit card or loan without requiring a male co-signer (usually a husband or father). 💰 Until the ECOA and the Fair Housing Act (1968, strengthened in the 1970s) many banks did not grant mortgages to single women, and married women often needed their husband’s approval. 💰 Single women were often denied bank accounts without a male relative’s approval. Banks began voluntarily shifting practices in the 1960s as women’s workforce participation grew, but full legal protections came with ECOA 💰 Similarly, women were historically discouraged from direct investment, often needing a male relative to manage brokerage accounts. There hasn't been a specific legal shift, but broader financial inclusion and the rise of women in financial professions helped normalize female investors. 💰 Women struggled to secure business loans, facing high rejection rates or requiring male guarantors. The Women’s Business Ownership Act (1988) eliminated state laws requiring male co-signers for business loans. But as of 2021, funding for female founders remains challenging. They received only 2% of VC funding, the smallest share since 2016. Globally, women entrepreneurs face a $1.7 trillion financing gap, with only 21% of women in low- and middle-income countries obtaining loans through formal channels or mobile banking, compared to 25% of men. 💰 The Equal Pay Act (1963) mandated equal pay for equal work but we're still waiting. In 2023, women working full-time earned approximately 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, marking the first WIDENING of the gap in two decades.  📊 Data! See links in the comments. Graphic below: Every year, to mark International Women’s Day The Economist publishes its glass-ceiling index. It compares working conditions for women across the OECD. The index is based on ten measures—from work-force participation and salaries to paid parental leave and political representation. The chart below shows how each country performed in 2024. The U.S. has improved slightly, but we haven't got much to be proud of. And in the current climate, things are taking a turn for the worse. Deeply frustrating.

👓📖☕#WeekendReading: Unlocking Potential: Legal Pathways to Boost Women's Labor Force Participation in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA)   In the MENA region, women have barely one-third of the legal rights afforded to men. Yet this latest #WomenBiz Law brief by Nour Elashmawy, Mahmoud Elsaman, Julia C. Braunmiller and Emilia Galiano underscores the transformative potential of comprehensive legal reforms in unlocking economic growth and empowering women across the region ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d9FnkFWn   This analysis leverages our dataset to: - Identify key legal constraints, - Evaluate reform progress, and - Offer actionable recommendations for policymakers to accelerate gender equality reforms.   #EconomicGrowth #PolicyReform #MENA

Maternal Health and Contractual Stability in Football: Why It Matters 😊 ⚽ Imagine being a professional athlete at the peak of your career—scoring goals, fans cheering, and living the dream. Suddenly, you’re faced with a life-changing decision: career or motherhood? For many female footballers, this was the reality until quite recently. At FLAM 2025 in Abuja, I presented on maternal health rights and contractual stability in football. According to FIFPRO’s 2017 global survey of 3,600+ players: ➡️ Only 2% had children ↪️ 61% received no childcare support and just 8% received maternity pay ➡️ 47% said they would retire early to start a family Imagine if nearly half consider leaving early for family, we risk losing incredible talent because the system isn’t designed to support them. Until recently, the FIFA RSTP had no specific provisions for maternity rights. This gap meant countless female players faced systemic inequalities: ⛔ Short-term contracts (average length: 12 months) ⛔ Lack of written agreements (only 53% had formal contracts) ⛔ Termination during pregnancy ⛔ Misclassification as amateurs, stripping players of employment protections The Turning Point was in January 2021, when FIFA introduced Article 18quater, guaranteeing: ✅ Contracts remain valid regardless of pregnancy. ✅ Termination due to maternity leave is presumed without just cause. ✅ Full salary until maternity leave begins. ✅ Paid maternity leave (minimum 14 weeks, two-thirds salary). ✅ Breastfeeding rights and reintegration support post-maternity. ...and in 2024, these rights were extended to adoptive parents, non-biological mothers, and female coaches—a significant milestone. However, implementation remains a challenge. Many federations have yet to adopt these regulations nationally, leaving players vulnerable. The landmark case of Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir v. Olympique Lyonnais illustrates this gap. Despite FIFA’s rules, Lyon applied French sick leave law, denying Sara her full salary during pregnancy. She fought back—and won—becoming the first player to successfully claim under FIFA’s maternity regulations. What Needs to Happen: 🟢 Education & Awareness: Players must know their rights. 🟢 Stronger Enforcement: Federations should implement FIFA’s minimum standards—and go beyond. 🟢 Holistic Support: Childcare facilities, postpartum plans, and flexible registration rules must become the norm. 🟢 Regulatory Gaps: Surrogacy, miscarriage, and post-maternity protections need urgent attention. As someone passionate about sports law and athlete welfare, I believe this conversation is long overdue. The regulations are a step forward—but now, it’s time for action. What are your thoughts? Should federations face sanctions for failing to implement maternity protections? How can we make contractual stability a reality for every female player? #TBDFootballEducation #WomenInFootball #SportsLaw #FootballRegulations #MaternalRights #ContractualStability #TBDAIImages

For the first time, the World Bank Group report “Women, Business and the Law” published earlier this week assesses not only the degree of equality in laws, but also the actual extent to which those laws are enforced. The findings are sobering: Only 4% of women worldwide live in economies that provide nearly full legal equality. That is keeping economies from reaching their full potential to grow and create jobs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, gender gaps persist, but the reform momentum is real: Sub-Saharan Africa implemented 33 reforms over the past two years, the largest number of any region. Other findings from Western and Central Africa include: 🔹 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Overall, the region scores below global averages across all three pillars —ie: legal frameworks, supportive systems, and enforcement— with women enjoying only about 59% of the legal rights granted to men. 🔹 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Gabon, and Sierra Leone stand out with comparatively strong legal frameworks, while Mauritania, Niger, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea lag behind with legal scores below 50 out of 100. 🔹𝐄𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬: Enforcement perceptions also vary widely. Countries like Togo and Côte d’Ivoire pair stronger laws with higher perceived enforcement, whereas systems in Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, Liberia, and Gabon struggle to ensure rights are applied consistently. 🔹 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬: Safety, childcare, and entrepreneurship are where the most significant gaps in Western and Central Africa appear. Still, several countries including Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo, Mali, Chad, and Ghana have enacted reforms between 2023 and 2025, showing growing political momentum to strengthen women’s economic rights, even if implementation remains uneven. Laws and policies fundamentally shape women’s access to jobs and economic opportunities across the continent. Legal frameworks that ensure equal economic participation—paired with implementation and enforcement—are essential to fostering entrepreneurship and driving Africa’s long-term economic growth. More: https://lnkd.in/gx-A5ZzV

🌎 Davos 2025 Notes (3/4): I've been meaning to share this. Today — International Women's Day — is perfect timing. Though I'm an optimist by nature, today isn't a day for celebrating. It's a day for reflecting. At the 2025 World Economic Forum, I attended the launch of the "Representation Matters" report. This research demonstrates how increasing women's political leadership can accelerate global economic growth. Some eye-opening takeaways: ❧ Closing the gender employment gap could double the world's growth rate over the next decade and boost global GDP by over 20%. ❧ Two critical areas were added to the WBL index this year: Safety and Childcare — both essential for women to fully participate in the workforce. ❧ Countries score worst on "Safety," with only 55% of economies having comprehensive laws against domestic violence. ❧ Globally, women have barely one-third of the legal protections they need from violence, harassment, and harmful practices. ❧ When violence against women increases by just 1%, economic activities drop by up to 9% (IMF). ❧ Women's political representation directly correlates with increased legal protections. ❧ Nearly half (49%) of people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders, with no reduction in this bias over the past decade. ❧ Women globally have less than two-thirds of men's legal rights, and no country offers complete equality. Women represent one of our largest untapped economic assets. Electing more women to public office directly removes barriers to women's safety, employment, and family health. How can we create an environment where more women run for office? 1️⃣ Address structural barriers like financing, care responsibilities, and online harassment 2️⃣ Better communicate the economic and social benefits of leadership balance 3️⃣ Ensure parliaments truly represent all the people they create laws for What's one action you can take today? Don't tolerate gender-based online harassment. Speak up. Civil discourse isn't just nice — it's essential for democracy to function. *See the Representation Matters report, linked in comments below. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025 #RepresentationMatters #EconomicGrowth #WEF2025

Every day should be women’s day - Last month, the World Bank Group launched its new “Women, Business, and the Law” (WBL) report which takes a close look at how laws, policies, and practices shape women’s economic opportunities around the world. The findings are clear: women are more likely to join the workforce in countries where legal protections are stronger. The report highlighted how despite the impressive educational achievements of women, only about 20% of working age women are actually participating in the labor force in the region. Closing gender employment gaps could raise GDP per capita by about 50% in the long run in the typical MENA economy. That’s a game-changer. Taking a holistic approach to tackle this issue results in improved employment. Saudi Arabia is a good example for this: In the last decade, the country made major legal reforms, and with new programs to increase female employment, effective communication campaigns, and economic structural changes, the female labor force participation increased from 17.4% in 2017 to 36.3% as of 2025. Our latest regional economic update also has data that shows how countries can take a comprehensive approach to lift mutually reinforcing barriers that limit women’s economic participation. While our region presents a very low legal frameworks score compared to the global average, there have been many reforms. The report highlights that Egypt, Oman, and Jordan stand out as three of the six countries worldwide making the most significant advances. Egypt removed job and night hour restrictions for women, mandated pay equity, increased paid maternity leave, introduced paid paternity leave, and allowed flexible work. Oman shifted maternity leave payments to the government and improved survivor benefits and pension calculations for women. Jordan set a 20% quota for women on corporate boards, enabled flexible work, and protected pregnant workers from dismissal. These positive steps show that meaningful change is underway across the region. In the current context of a region experiencing conflict, legal and policy measures addressing specific issues such as violence against women are vital to their safety and well-being, especially in fragile and conflict-affected settings. We are committed to supporting actions that protect women and turn rights into realities, to unlock the full potential of every woman and girl - driving forward a more inclusive and prosperous future for all. Read more in my new blog on Strengthening Legal Rights to Drive Women’s Economic Participation.