Business Report :
Women in South Asia continue to trail their peers in many other parts of the world, as discriminatory laws thwart their economic advancement, says a latest World Bank report.
The Women, Business and the Law 2016 report was released in Washington on Wednesday and circulated from WB’s Dhaka office on Thursday.
The report, published every two years, examines laws that impede women’s employment and entrepreneurship in 173 economies throughout the world. The 2016 edition expands coverage in South Asia from 5 to 8 economies, adding Afghanistan, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Several economies from the South Asian region are among the most restrictive in the world in the dimensions – affecting women’s entrepreneurship and employment.
The region as a whole has been lagging in enacting reforms in the areas measured by the report, with only 3 reforms made in 2 economies in the past two years.
Afghanistan, which is one of the most restrictive economies in the world, imposes more than 20 legal barriers to women’s economic inclusion. The report finds that in Afghanistan, married women cannot choose where to live, apply for a passport, or obtain a national ID card while married men can do. Women also cannot work in the same jobs as men.
In India, the region’s largest economy with 612 million women, job restrictions remain widespread, with women not allowed to work in mining or in jobs that require lifting weights above a certain threshold or working with glass.
The law also prohibits women from jobs “involving danger to life, health or morals.” In addition, there are no laws to protect women against sexual harassment in public places, protections which exist in 18 other economies around the world.
In the last two years, India undertook one reform in the areas monitored by the report. By introducing a law mandating at least one female member on the board of publicly listed companies, India became the only developing country and one of only nine countries in the world to mandate female inclusion on corporate boards.
In Pakistan, many restrictions on women prevail. In order to register a business, married women need to include their husband’s name, nationality, and address – and they need to do this in the presence of a witness.
Women are also barred from working in many jobs, including those in factories and in mining. And there are no laws guaranteeing women equal remuneration for work of equal value and no laws mandating non-discrimination based on gender in hiring.
However, Pakistan issued 2 reforms in the last two years. It set the legal age of marriage for both boys and girls at 18 years and introduced criminal sanctions for men who contract marriage with a minor and anyone who performs, facilitates or permits underage marriage. Pakistan also introduced a 22 percent quota for women in local government.
Women in South Asia continue to trail their peers in many other parts of the world, as discriminatory laws thwart their economic advancement, says a latest World Bank report.
The Women, Business and the Law 2016 report was released in Washington on Wednesday and circulated from WB’s Dhaka office on Thursday.
The report, published every two years, examines laws that impede women’s employment and entrepreneurship in 173 economies throughout the world. The 2016 edition expands coverage in South Asia from 5 to 8 economies, adding Afghanistan, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Several economies from the South Asian region are among the most restrictive in the world in the dimensions – affecting women’s entrepreneurship and employment.
The region as a whole has been lagging in enacting reforms in the areas measured by the report, with only 3 reforms made in 2 economies in the past two years.
Afghanistan, which is one of the most restrictive economies in the world, imposes more than 20 legal barriers to women’s economic inclusion. The report finds that in Afghanistan, married women cannot choose where to live, apply for a passport, or obtain a national ID card while married men can do. Women also cannot work in the same jobs as men.
In India, the region’s largest economy with 612 million women, job restrictions remain widespread, with women not allowed to work in mining or in jobs that require lifting weights above a certain threshold or working with glass.
The law also prohibits women from jobs “involving danger to life, health or morals.” In addition, there are no laws to protect women against sexual harassment in public places, protections which exist in 18 other economies around the world.
In the last two years, India undertook one reform in the areas monitored by the report. By introducing a law mandating at least one female member on the board of publicly listed companies, India became the only developing country and one of only nine countries in the world to mandate female inclusion on corporate boards.
In Pakistan, many restrictions on women prevail. In order to register a business, married women need to include their husband’s name, nationality, and address – and they need to do this in the presence of a witness.
Women are also barred from working in many jobs, including those in factories and in mining. And there are no laws guaranteeing women equal remuneration for work of equal value and no laws mandating non-discrimination based on gender in hiring.
However, Pakistan issued 2 reforms in the last two years. It set the legal age of marriage for both boys and girls at 18 years and introduced criminal sanctions for men who contract marriage with a minor and anyone who performs, facilitates or permits underage marriage. Pakistan also introduced a 22 percent quota for women in local government.
