Full Legal Equality for women is a movement for equal rights, responsibilities and access. It covers employment, education, marriage, property ownership and even freedom of speech. Unsurprisingly, several countries are tilting towards this movement. Some have even implemented it fully.
These countries showed that with strong institutions and will, you can achieve this. In this article, we’ll talk about these countries, what it means and the challenges involved.
Defining Full Legal Equality
Full legal equality means women have the same legal rights as men in areas like mobility, employment, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pensions. The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2023 report finds this across 190 countries, scoring them from 0 to 100 based on eight indicators.
Only 14 countries achieved a perfect score, especially in Europe, with Canada as the only one away from there. Globally, 99 countries score 80 or above but many, especially in Asia, score below 30. Those are countries with severe restrictions like requiring male permission for travel or work.
Countries with Full Legal Еquality
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2023 report, 14 countries have achieved full legal equality for women, scoring 100 across 8 key indicators: mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pensions.
These countries are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. These nations showcase strong commitments to gender equality.
Countries like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden have a long history of progressive policies. Key reforms include equal parental leave, notably introduced in Germany and the Netherlands in 2023, strong equal pay laws, and protections against workplace discrimination and gender-based violence.
For instance, France and Sweden enforce firm anti-harassment laws and uphold women’s property rights. While legal frameworks in these countries promote full participation for women, social norms can still limit real-life equality.
Criteria for Determining Legal Equality
To determine whether a country has achieved legal equality for women, the recognized source to use is the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report which evaluates legal equality using 8 indicators.
They include:
- Mobility: Freedom to travel or move around
- Workplace: Laws against discrimination in employment.
- Pay: Equal pay for the same work.
- Marriage: Equal rights in marriage and divorce.
- Parenthood: Parental leave and parental protections
- Entrepreneurship: Legal ability and equal access to start businesses
- Assets: Equal property and Inheritance rights.
- Pensions: Equal retirement benefits.
A country only scores 100 if it grants women all these rights as men in all these indicators and there is no gap.
Factors Contributing to Legal Equality
Legal equality just doesn’t come by; if that were the case, every country in the world would have it. Countries that have achieved legal equality have similar factors that contribute to legal equality. These are the main ones:
- Good Democratic Institutions
- International Bodies
- Public Education and support.
Significances of Full Legal Equality
Full legal equality for women brings about significant changes and effects. Economically, it boosts women’s workforce participation, which helps drive up the country’s growth. Socially, it reduces gender violence and improves family lives and well-being, especially in Sweden. Politically, countries like Iceland with more women participating, show better democratic engagement.
With all this, legal equality doesn’t mean there won’t be some gaps. Even in top nations, we still see these gaps because of cultural norms, beliefs and barriers. To really make all the laws come to fruition, countries need to raise the awareness of the legal rights and responsibilities of the citizens to bring about more social change so women not only have the rights but the freedom to use the rights.
Challenges
Despite the presence of legal equality in 14 countries, global setbacks still happen. In 2024, one in four countries saw backlash on women’s rights. Cultural norms, weak enforcement, and funding gaps also hinder real progress.
Even top nations face wage gaps and limited accountability. Advancing equality requires stronger enforcement, education, and community support.
Wrap Up
14 countries achieved full legal equality for women by the 2023 World Bank report, covering mobility, work, pay, and more. Legal equality for women boosts economies and societies, but cultural beliefs and enforcement gaps still remain.