Women’s rights are always changing and (hopefully) always improving. Sometimes it’s hard for us to remember that not everyone in the world lives the same way we do, in the same type of hierarchies and the same type of institutions. However, several groups, such as the World Bank Group and the United Nations, report statistics that allow us to assess and understand the status that women have across the world.
Just because we have a wealth of information doesn’t necessary mean we are making vast global improvements. As of early 2017, women still only made up 23.3% of members of parliament worldwide. Additionally, 90% of police and 97% of “military peacekeepers” were men – but data from 40 countries shows that the more female police there are, the more likely victims are to report sexual assault.
Most of the time, I think we are all guilty of assuming more Westernized countries offer more legislative rights to their women. These 2013 statistics from the World Bank Group are based on six categories: domestic violence, constitutional rights, harassment, property rights, abortion and work rights. These will hopefully offer some insight to how women are being treated internationally.
In the United States, there is no legislation that addresses financial abuse, but we do have legislation addressing other abuses such as emotional or sexual. Our constitution does not include a nondiscrimination clause – meaning a private contractor is not allowed to discriminate when hiring employees. Much like our neighbor to the north, there are no criminal repercussions for sexual harassment, including harassment in public places and in the workplace. Another workplace issue is that the law does not require paid or unpaid maternity or paternity leave.
However, despite these gaps in legislation, in terms of comparison, we may have it better than we thought.
Canada
No law in Canada specifically addresses issues of domestic violence, victims of which are disproportionately female. There is also an absence of legislation that addresses or includes unmarried relationships, such as civil unions or domestic partnerships. The legislation also excludes financial abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment in educational facilities. There are no criminal repercussions for sexual harassment, including harassment that takes place at work. Additionally, Canada’s law does not require employers to provide paid or unpaid paternity leave or to provide break time for nursing mothers.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, no law specifically addresses domestic violence and there is not a specialized procedure or court system for domestic violence instances. The legislation also excludes unmarried relationships, as well as financial abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment in educational facilities. The law does not require equal pay for equal work, it does not require employers to provide paid or unpaid paternity leave, does not require employers to provide a break for nursing mothers, and it does not ban gender discrimination in hiring. Inheritance rights are not equal among sons and daughters, much in the same way that they are not equal among female and male spouses. Additionally, abortions are forbidden even in cases of fetal impairment, rape, incest, economic reasons, social reasons or upon request.
India
Although India neighbors Pakistan geographically, they are vastly different in terms of the legislature. In India, there is no legislation on sexual harassment in educational facilities or in public spaces. Abortions are unlawful if they are upon request only. The law does not require equal pay for equal work, and it also does not require paid or unpaid paternity leave. The law does allow, however, for employers to ask about family status during interviews and the hiring process.
South Africa
In South Africa, there is no governmental department that oversees addressing sexual harassment. There are no criminal penalties for sexual harassment, including in the workplace, in education, or in public spaces. The law does not require equal pay for equal work. During the hiring process, employers are legally allowed to discriminate in terms of gender, and they are also allowed to ask about family status during interviews. Additionally, employers are not required to provide a break for mothers who are nursing.
Egypt
A continent away from South Africa, Egypt has many more legislative gaps. There are some similarities between the two countries (such as there being no governmental department in charge of addressing sexual harassment, and the law not requiring equal pay for equal work). However, in Egypt there are no specialized procedures for domestic violence, there is no law that addresses unmarried relationship, domestic violence, sexual harassment, financial abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, or sexual abuse including in the workplace, in educational facilities, and in employment. The law allows for gender discrimination in hiring, allows for employers to ask about family status during interviews, and does not require employers to ensure paid or unpaid maternity leave. In terms of inheritance and abortions, however, Egypt mirrors Pakistan. Abortions are not available even in the case of preserving the mental or physical health of the mother, fetal impairment, rape, incest, economic or social reasons, or upon request. Inheritance rights are not equal among sons and daughters, or among female and male spouses. The law does require, however, that married women obey their husbands.
Brazil
Much like in other nations across the world, Brazil has no legislation on sexual harassment in educational facilities or in public spaces. During interviews and hiring processes, employers may ask about family status. Again, not unique to Brazil, abortions are forbidden even in the case of preserving the mental and physical health of the mother, in the case of fetal impairment, for economic or social reasons, or upon request.
China
There is no department of the Chinese government that oversees addressing sexual harassment, and there are no specialized procedures for domestic violence. As we’ve seen before, the constitution does not include a nondiscrimination clause, and there is no relevant legislation that includes financial abuse, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment in education or public spaces. There is also no law that requires equal pay for equal work, or that forbids employers from asking about family status during the interview and hiring processes.
Russia
In Russia, there is no government department in charge of addressing sexual harassment, and there are no specialized procedures for domestic violence. There is also no legislation that includes unmarried relationships, financial abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, or sexual abuse or harassment both in educational facilities and in public spaces. Like the United States, the constitution in Russia does not include a nondiscrimination clause. There is also no law that specifically addresses domestic violence, that requires equal pay for equal work, that requires paid or unpaid paternity leave, that forbids employers from asking about familial status during interviews, or that bans gender discrimination in hiring.
If we are trying to build the world where women feel comfortable, safe, and equal, we need to stop allowing the trends to show that women are continuously paid 60 cents on the dollar of what a man makes. We need to ensure that women represent more than the current 20% of landholders. We need to promise that the number of countries where husbands can still prevent their wives from accepting jobs decreases significantly (by the way, that number is 18). In 2017, there is no excuse to be living in such a restricted world. As women, we are responsible to influence, facilitate, and execute positive changes.