World Bank: equality between men and women is a distant goal

The economic parity between men and women It is still a very distant objective that no country, not even those with more advanced economies, has achieved, according to the most recent report from the World Bank (WB) on Women, business and legislation.

In this edition, the WB took into account broader criteria than it had considered until now. Thus, in addition to evaluating the evolution of laws in each country, the report analyzes their application and the opinion of experts on the reality of daily life.

From this point of view, the result has been worse than in previous years. It even shows that a certain number of countries, especially developed economies, that seemed close to achieving equality, actually still have a long way to go.

According to the report prepared in 2022, before the application of the new parameters, women in the world had 77% of the rights that men enjoyed, despite important differences between countries.

But the new report estimates that in reality, globally, women have access to only 64% of the legal protection that men enjoy.

“Discriminatory laws and practices prevent women from working or creating businesses on equal terms with men,” Indermit Gill, chief economist of the World Bank, noted in the report.

“Eliminating these differences would allow the global Gross Domestic Product to increase by more than twenty%, doubling the global growth rate in the next decade”he added.

Among the examples of disparities cited is that of remuneration. Although there is legislation in 98 countries that ensures equal pay, in only 35 have measures been taken to ensure it is fulfilled. This amount is equivalent to less than twenty% of the countries of the world.

The WB estimates, therefore, that women earn an average of US$7.7 for every US$10 that men receive.

“A waste”

“It is more urgent than ever to accelerate efforts to reform the laws and implement the public policies necessary so that women can work, and create and advance their own businesses.””stressed Tea Trumbic, the lead author of the report.

The World Bank highlighted two points in which almost all countries present delays: childcare services for children and women’s safety, part of the new criteria considered in the report.

Legal regulations ensuring the establishment of daycare centers exist in only 62 countries. But these places are key for women’s participation in the labor market. On average, women dedicate 2.4 hours more daily than men to domestic tasks, especially taking care of children.

“Currently, barely half of women are part of the economically active population, compared to approximately 3 out of every 4 men. Not only is it unfair, it’s wasteful.Trumbic stated.

The worst performance of the States has to do with the safety of women, with serious shortcomings in the legislation regarding the fight against sexual harassment, domestic violence or feminicide.

Although 150 countries have laws that prohibit sexual harassment at work, only about 40 also prevent it in public spaces, which constitutes a brake on women’s access to the labor market and the economy in general, the BM.