Legal discrimination stymies economic outcomes for women

Despite decades of progress in addressing gender discrimination, women across the globe face persistent legal barriers to participating in the economy on an equal basis with men,  according to a study  co-authored by Yale economist Pinelopi Goldberg. The study, based on the World Bank Group's newly compiled "Women, Business and the Law"(WBL) database, provides the first global picture of how discriminatory laws continue to restrict women's economic opportunities. It documents large and persistent legal gender inequalities, particularly with regards to equal pay and parenting.  " The amount of legal discrimination our analysis uncovered is surprising, given how far the world has come over the past 50 years," said Goldberg, the Elihu Professor of Economics in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and former chief economist of the World Bank Group. "We hope this research inspires policymakers worldwide to initiate reforms and eliminate legal gender discrimination, which is a necessary first step in expanding economic opportunities for women." The WBL dataset measures equality of economic opportunity under the law between men and women in 190 countries from 1970 until today. It covers national laws that affect women's ability to make a living and provide for their families. Each country was scored in eight categories, measuring laws concerning women's pay, pensions, marriages, freedom of movement, decisions to find work, and ability to run a business, manage assets, and hold jobs after having children.