Infographic – Eight Nations Offer Full Women’s Rights

Click on image for full-size view (Statista)

7 Mar. 2020. An issue cutting across science and business is equity for women, and according to a recent World Bank report, only eight countries offer women full legal protections. Our infographic this weekend from the data research company Statista — a day before International Women’s Day — displays quantitative scores on equal rights for women and men for a number of countries, and showing the U.S. is not among the top-ranked nations.

The World Bank Report, Women, Business and the Law 2020, assigns a percentage from 0 to 100 on full legal protections for women in 87 countries, with 100 indicating full equality between women and men. Eight countries, Canada and seven European countries, reach 100 percent, with three three more European countries — Germany, Spain, and the U.K. — getting close at 97.5 percent.

The rankings are based on laws governing societal attributes including freedom of movement, work, equal pay, pensions, business ownership, asset management, and family issues such as marriage and child rearing. On that basis, the U.S. scores at 91.3 percent, higher than most, but not among the leaders. The ratings reflect lack of parental leave rights in the U.S., as well as fewer guarantees for equal pay and pensions.

At the bottom of the list are West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan, with scores under 30 percent. Last year, Saudi Arabia came in dead last, but boosted its score this year to 70.6 percent as a result of new laws enabling women to drive and travel more freely.

More from Science & Enterprise:

• Women Founders Again Raise Small Share of Venture Funds
• Women-Founded Start-Ups Raise More Capital Than Male-Only
• Infographic — More Women PhDs Awarded in US than Men

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