A new report from the World Bank shows women still have fewer rights than men in every single country.
The analysis of 190 countries found that women have fewer rights than men in every country, especially when considering legal differences such as childcare and protections against violence.
While 98 countries have equal pay laws, just 35 have pay transparency laws or processes to measure the gender pay gap. Globally, women earn 77 cents on the dollar, which delays when they can retire and how much they must work for a standard of living similar to that had by men. Even in wealthy, progressive countries with smaller pay disparities, such as New Zealand and Iceland, women still fall behind their male counterparts.
In 27 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa, and Oceania, followed by the Caribbean, Middle East, and Latin America, women also aren’t protected against employment discrimination.
The report found that most countries do not have adequate childcare laws, further reducing women’s labor participation. Less than one-half of the 190 countries analyzed offer financial support for parents.
Despite being the wealthiest country in the world by GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund, the U.S still has a sizable gender pay and equity gap, and is one of just a few wealthy countries, including Japan and China, that does not mandate pay equality. Some companies, like L’Oreal and Intel, share their pay parity journeys publicly, while states like California, Colorado and Washington have introduced transparency regulations to help close the gap.