Working women do not have equal rights in any country in the world: World Bank – 2024-03-09 07:30:01

Complaints that women do not have equal opportunities in the workplace compared to men are not new. But the worrying thing is that this situation is almost the same all over the world. According to the recent study of the United Nations, equal rights of working women have not been guaranteed in any country in the world even in the modern era.

The 10th edition of the United Nations Report on Women, Business and Law was published on March 4. It has been said that it is possible to increase the global GDP by more than 20 percent only if gender inequality in the workplace is eliminated.

This year’s report by the global body considers for the first time the impact of child care and safety policies on women’s labor market participation in 190 countries. It found that, on average, women are only 64 percent more likely to receive legal protection than men in the workplace. Before considering the two factors mentioned, the rate was considered to be 77 percent.

Child care and safety issues particularly affect women’s ability to work, said T Trumbic, author of the report. Violence can physically prevent them from going to work, childcare costs can also be a barrier to women’s work.

The United Nations report also assesses for the first time the gap between women’s rights laws and policies to implement them. It has been seen that, on average, countries have not taken 40 percent of the necessary measures for the full implementation of the law.

Although 95 countries of the world have enacted equal pay laws for men and women, only 35 countries have taken measures to ensure its implementation. Globally, women currently earn just 77 cents per dollar of men’s wages.

Impact of Childcare on Working Women United Nations research suggests that if childcare problems were eliminated, women’s participation in the workforce could immediately increase by one percent.

A mother teaches her daughter to walk in a nursery in France. Photo: AFP

According to the report, less than half of the countries in the world have financial support or tax breaks for parents of young children. Fewer than one-third of countries have established childcare standards that can reassure parents of their children’s safety.

In many cases, women do not receive any pension benefits for the time they are absent from work to care for children. At least 81 countries have such regulations.

According to the report, 151 countries around the world have laws against sexual harassment in the workplace. But only 40 countries have laws to prevent misbehavior in public places or on public transport. That is, the women of these countries are not protected on the way to the workplace.

Indramit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, said that discriminatory laws and practices around the world prevent women and men from working or starting businesses on the basis of equal rights. If this gap can be closed, the global gross domestic product (GDP) can increase by more than 20 percent. It could also double the global growth rate in the next decade. But the pace of reform needed for that has slowed.

Source: The Guardian

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