Iraq ranks among the last Countries on "Women, Business and the Law" index

Shafaq News/ The World Bank issued the 2021 edition of "Women, Business and the Law" for 190 economies to October 1, 2020.

This study examines progress toward gender equality by measuring the laws and regulations that restrict women’s economic inclusion in 190 economies.

It also presents compelling findings on gender-sensitive government responses to COVID-19, as well as pilot research on both childcare and enhancing women’s access to justice.

According to the report, discriminatory laws across the world continue to threaten not only women’s fundamental human rights, but also their economic security.

Women face these challenges in even the most developed economies. Worldwide they have, on average, just three-quarter of the rights of men.

Iraqi women scored 25 out of 100 points in freedom of movement, while they scored 100 out of 100 on the level of laws that affect women's decisions to work, scoring 50 percent for spending, and 20 percent for laws that affect women's work after childbearing.

As for restrictions related to marriage, Iraq scored zero, and for ownership of assets, it scored 40 percent, while it scored 75 points in entrepreneurship, and 50 in laws related to retirement.

Ten economies—Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Sweden—score 100 on the Women, Business and the Law index.

Since 2019, 27 economies from all regions have enacted reforms increasing gender equality.

Most reforms introduced or amended laws affecting pay and parenthood.

There were no reforms addressing gender differences in property and inheritance as measured by the Assets indicator.

The Middle East and North Africa and Organization for Economic

Co-operation and Development (OECD) high-income economies improved their laws the most in 2019/20.

Over the last 50 years, three regions—OECD high income, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa—have seen a record gain in their average scores of more than 30 points.