Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A fabulous and ground-breaking book on the direct relationship between a woman's amount of freedom and the economic prosperity of her country.
The enormous global project entitled Women, Business and the Law that was conducted by the World Bank is the basis for many of the amazing findings presented in this startling volume. A systematic explanation of 173 economies around the world was undertaken, and each economy was evaluated in terms of the answers to 47 questions concerning the rights of women in that locale. Typical examples of the 47 questions include: Can a woman, whether married or single, apply for a passport in the same way as a man? Can she travel outside the country? Are married women required by law to obey their husbands? Can she sign a contract?Are there criminal sanctions for sexual harassment? There are 40 other equally pertinent questions asked.
Astonishingly, the survey revealed an almost direct correlation between how many freedoms women enjoyed and how much prosperity was enjoyed by that particular economy.
It is to be hoped that if gender equality has not yet been freely offered to women by any certain society, that the fascinating information contained in these pages will persuade the members of that society that it is in their own best economic interests to remedy the situation immediately.
This groundbreaking book proves irrefutably, once and for all, that freedom for women equals prosperity for all.
Synopsis
A groundbreaking book about the direct relationship between a woman's rights and freedoms and the economic prosperity of her country.
"The authors speak to hearts as well as minds." --Maud de Boer Buquicchio, UN Special Rapporteur
"Not only timely but profoundly important--a must-read." Jackie Jones, Professor of Feminist Legal studies
The economics of gender inequality is often reduced to equal pay for equal work. But there is much more to it than that. Can a woman, whether married or single, register a business in the same way as a man? Can she sign a contract? Do men and women have equal ownership rights to property? Does she have the right to confer citizenship on her children? Are there criminal sanctions for sexual harassment?
Gender inequality in the fields of education, law, employment and wages lead to incalculable social and political disparities. These disparities in turn give rise to endemic poverty and violence, to individual frustration, social instability and cultural disaffection. When women are deprived of their rights, economies are eroded, democracies weakened, and the fabric of societies radically undermined. This pioneering book shows, once and for all, the direct correlation between the freedoms given to women and the prosperity enjoyed by all.