- US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File
World Bank report gave six nations a perfect score for
achieving equal rights between men and women under the law.
- All six nations are in Europe, which has some of the most
progressive childcare and paid leave policies in the world.
Women in a typical economy have only three-quarters of
the rights of men, the report found.
The last decade has secured numerous victories for gender
equality around the world.
criminalized child marriage, women in Saudi Arabia
won the legal right to drive, and Suriname's
"nationality law" was overturned, allowing women to pass citizenship to
their children without marrying someone from the same country.
But only six countries have achieved true gender parity
under the law, according to
a recent report by The World Bank.
6 charts show how much more men make than women
The report looked at how legislation affects women's economic
decisions across eight indicators: the ability to travel, start a
job, get married, have children, run a business, get paid, manage
assets, and obtain a pension.
Countries with 100 points earned a perfect score, but the global
average was around 75 points. This led the authors to
conclude that "a typical economy only gives women three-quarters
the rights of men."
The United States scored an 84, but lost points due to its
parental leave policies. Nations in the Middle East and
North Africa earned a much lower average of 47 points.
Take a look at how six countries - Belgium, Denmark,
France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden - have achieved equal
rights under the law over the last decade.
Belgium is reducing one-on-one salary negotiations.
- Queen Mathilde of Belgium visits the editorial rooms of Belgium's oldest women's magazines, Libelle and Femme d'Aujourd'hui.
- Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
The World Bank considered whether women in different countries
were able to work the same hours and in the same industries as
men. It also considered whether the law requires equal
payment for work of equal value.
In Belgium, the vast majority of workers
sign collective bargaining agreements that prevent them from
having to individually negotiate their salaries.
In 2012, the country passed a law that requires employers
analyze their wage structure to detect any differences in pay
between men and women. Women are also protected by a
automatically raises wages to meet the growing cost of
Three new policies paved the way for a more equal society in France.
- Emilie Jeannin, 37, a cow breeder with her Charolais cows in Beurizot, France: "Once I could not help laughing when an agricultural advisor asked me where the boss was, when I was standing right in front of him. I can assure you that the meeting got very quickly cut short."
- Benoit Tessier/Reuters
A decade ago, not single country achieved a perfect score on The
World Bank's assessment of gender equality. France has made by
far the greatest strides by passing landmark policies in the last
In 2018, the government
introduced five new measures to combat domestic violence,
including additional funding for a national helpline and an
online platform that simplifies the process of reporting an
attack. It also introduced paid parental leave and
increased the penalty for workplace sexual harassment.
Denmark is making efforts to combat domestic violence.
- Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visits a crisis center for women in Copenhagen.
- Ole Jensen/Corbis/Getty Images
Nordic countries are known for their progressive childcare and
paid leave policies, but many of them suffer from high incidences
of domestic violence. In Denmark, 32% of women said they had
intimate physical and/or sexual violence at least once
in their lifetime.
report refers to this phenomenon as the "Nordic
paradox," suggesting that there may be an unexpected backlash
against women in gender-equal societies.
Since 2002, Denmark has launched multiple
national action plans to confront this issue. The most recent
plan focuses on young people exposed to dating violence.
Latvia provides flexible schedules for working mothers.
- Latvia is working to combat human trafficking and domestic violence.
- John Moore/Getty
Most women in Latvia are full-time workers, and more than
two-thirds of mothers with dependent children have a paying
In 2015, the nation signed an agreement that provides flexible
work arrangements for parents with abnormal schedules (e.g. those
who works nights or on weekends). A 2011 law also calls upon
local governments to provide all children between one-and-a-half
and five years old with
equal access to a pre-school education.
Like other European nations, Latvia has
undertaken numerous steps to reduce domestic violence and
human trafficking as well.
Luxembourg is making it easier for parents to take paid leave.
- Prior to the new policy, data from the Ministry of Family Affairs showed that less than half of those eligible for parental leave in Luxembourg took time off.
- Getty Images
The World Bank report highlights Luxembourg's
parental leave policy, which allows both parents to take paid
leave before their child turns six years old. (Full-time
employees are given leave for four to six months.)
Data from the Ministry of Family Affairs found that just
20% of fathers in Luxembourg
took parental leave in 2014, before the law was passed in
2016. The new legislation allows them to earn a salary that's
proportionate to what they earned at work, and no less than
Sweden is helping more mothers take on full-time jobs.
- Sisters pose as their parents vote in the Swedish general elections on September 9, 2018.
- Jonathan Nackstand/AFP/Getty Images
Women in Sweden earn a slightly lower average salary than men,
but this disparity seems to be driven, in part, by more women
The Swedish government reports that mothers view childcare
responsibilities as one of the
main reasons why they can't take on a full-time job -
something the country is actively working to address.
Sweden now offers free childcare for up to 15 hours per
week for children ages three to six. It also allows parents of
both sexes to take 16 months of parental leave while earning
about 80% of their salary (with a cap). Parents are required to
share their time off, and fathers are recommended to
take about five months.
The World Bank report found that laws such as these could
encourage more women to participate in the workforce.