Women, Business and the Law 2010 report
Background
Women, Business and the Law measures, in an objective fashion, legal differentiations on the basis of gender in 128 economies around the world. It is the first report that measures the gender gap in policy variables using quantitative and objective data. It examines the laws, regulations and institutions that differentiate between women and men in ways that affect women’s incentives or capacity to work or to set up and run a business. The six topics covered are: 
1. Accessing institutions – explores women’s legal ability to interact with public authorities and the private sector in the same ways as men.
2. Using property – analyzes women’s ability to access and use property based on their ability to own, manage, control, and inherit it.
3. Getting a job – assesses restrictions on women’s work such as prohibitions on working at night or in certain industries. This indicator also covers laws on maternity and paternity protection and retirement ages.
4. Dealing with taxes – examines personal income tax liabilities, taking into account the tax credits and deductions available to women and men.
5. Building credit – identifies minimum loan thresholds in private credit bureaus and public credit registries and tracks credit bureaus and registries that collect information from microfinance institutions.
6. Going to court – considers the ease and affordability of access to justice by examining small claims courts.
The report finds that every region contains with unequal rules for men and women, with the extent of inequality varying by region. Although income level is correlated with gender equality under the law, unequal legal provisions exist in both developed and developing economies.
Women, Business and the Law is intended to further country level or cross-country research efforts on linkages between legal differentiations and outcomes for women. Using these data, policymakers can identify gender differentiated laws in their countries and particular areas where gender inequality may be especially pronounced. By focusing on the law, which is tangible and concrete, the report aims to provide policymakers with a starting point for dialogue and action. In fact, several countries are already changing their legislation in this area.
Team members
- Diala Makdissi Afram is a gender analyst in Enterprise Surveys. Ms. Makdissi Afram holds a Master of Laws degree with a concentration in international law and human rights. She previously practiced law in Sweden.
- Sarah Iqbal is a gender analyst in Enterprise Surveys. She previously practiced law in California and is a member of the California Bar. Ms. Iqbal holds a JD from UC Hastings with a concentration in international law, an MA in international relations with a concentration in economics from Johns Hopkins (SAIS), and a BA from UC Berkeley.
- Rita Ramalho is the Program Manager for Enterprise Surveys. She previously worked on the Doing Business report. Ms. Ramalho holds a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research has focused on analyzing how different types of regulations can affect economic outcomes, with a recent focus on women’s economic outcomes.
- Jennifer Yip is a gender analyst in Enterprise Surveys. She previously worked for the Economic Reform and Development team in The Asia Foundation’s office in Cambodia. Ms. Yip holds a M.A. in Politics from Princeton University and a B.A. from Stanford University. Her background is in feminist political theory and comparative politics.
List of countries
All 128 countries will be made available here.
| Gender Equality in Albania#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Bulgaria#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Ecuador#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Iceland#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Latvia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Netherlands#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Romania#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Chinese Taipei#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Algeria#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Burkina Faso#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Egypt#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in India#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Lebanon#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in New Zealand#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Gender Equality in the Russian Federationn Federation#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Tanzania#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Angola#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Cambodia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in El Salvador#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Indonesia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Lesotho#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Nicaragua#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Rwanda#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Thailand#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Argentina#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Cameroon#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Estonia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Iran#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Lithuania#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Niger#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Saudi Arabia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Togo#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Armenia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Canada#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Ethiopia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Ireland#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Madagascar#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Nigeria#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Senegal#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Turkey#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Australia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Chad#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Finland#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Israel#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Malawi#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Norway#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Uganda#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Austria#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Chile#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in France#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Italy#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Malaysia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Oman#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Singapore#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Ukraine#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Azerbaijan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in China#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Georgia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Jamaica#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Mali#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Pakistan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Slovakia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the United Arab Emirates#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Bangladesh#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Colombia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Germany#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Japan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Mauritania#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Panama#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Slovenia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the United Kingdom#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Belarus#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Democratic Gender Equality in the Republic of Congo#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Ghana#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Jordan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Mexico#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Papua New Gender Equality in Guinea#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in South Women and African Economic Development#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Gender Equality in the United States of America of America of America#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Belgium#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Costa Rica#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Greece#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Kazakhstan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Moldova#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Paraguay#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Spain#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Uruguay#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Benin#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Ivory Coast#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Guatemala#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Kenya#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Mongolia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Peru#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Sri Lanka#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Uzbekistan#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Bolivia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Croatia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Guinea#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in South Korea#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Serbia and Montenegro and Montenegro#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Philippines#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Sudan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Venezuela#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Czech Republic#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Honduras#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Kuwait#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Morocco#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Poland#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Sweden#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Vietnam#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Botswana#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Denmark#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Hong Kong#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Kyrgyzstan#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Namibia#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Portugal#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Switzerland#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Syria#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
| Gender Equality in Brazil#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in the Dominican Republic#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Hungary#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Lao PDR#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Nepal#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Puerto Rico#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Yemen#The Women.2C Business and the Law | Gender Equality in Zambia#The Women.2C Business and the Law |
See also
- Women, Business and the Law 2010 report: Methodology (2010 report)
- Women, Business and the Law, 2012
- Women, Business and the Law 2012 report: Methodology
- Women, Business and the Law website
Video
The following video was done by Datapult, based on the indicator “Do men and women have equal rights under the law?” from the Women, Business and the Law 2010 report: