The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for GIC-LAW-1

Nov. 16, 2024, 2:56 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Mandu Reid, the leader of the British Women’s Equality Party, accused the government of leaving mothers to work on 'pittance wages' while raising children. Speaking before the crowd, she said 'underpaid, undervalued, largely women workers' were paying the cost for the 'failures' of the political system" (para 15).
Nov. 13, 2024, 12:12 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1, GIC-LAW-1

Britain's tax system penalises couples and 'actively discourages' them from having children, a Conservative MP has said. Miriam Cates called on the Government to recognise both the cost and value of raising children by removing the 'family penalty'. She also described marriage as a 'middle-class secret' as the political class has failed to speak up for the benefits it brings. Her comments will put Chancellor Jeremy Hunt under fresh pressure as he works on next month's Budget, as other Tories have already called on him to make childcare more affordable. Mrs Cates, a married mother-of-three who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire, warned in a speech this week that...more
Nov. 12, 2024, 6:12 p.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

“In December of that year, as Korea’s fertility rate hovered at 1.2 births per woman (it has since slid to 0.78, the lowest in the world), the Korean government launched an online ‘National Birth Map’ that showed the number of women of reproductive age in each municipality, illustrating just what it expected of its female citizens. (South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol won the election in March 2022 with a message that blamed feminism for Korea’s low birth rate, and a promise to abolish the country’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.)” (para 15).
Nov. 12, 2024, 1:32 p.m.
Countries: Latvia
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"The Committee recommends that the State party…swiftly implement the envisaged reform to the maternity, paternity and parental leave scheme to make the parental leave quotas non-transferable" (11-12).
Nov. 5, 2024, 1:18 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Measures [to encourage marriage and childbirth] have included relaxing the sweeping policy that for decades controlled the number of children married couples could have, as well as attempting to find ways to incentivize childbirth and marriage" (para 16).
Nov. 5, 2024, 1:02 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Under current guidelines, single women are barred from freezing their eggs, with assisted reproductive technologies only available to married women with fertility issues" (para 3). "After China reported its first population drop in six decades amid record low birth and marriage rates, government political advisers proposed in March that single and unmarried women should have access to egg freezing and IVF treatment" (para 5). "China further loosened family planning regulations in 2021, allowing married couples to have up to three children after decades of enforcing the controversial single-child policy which ended in 2015. But same-sex couples remain barred from marriage and adoption, and surrogacy is illegal" (para 16).more
Nov. 5, 2024, 12:59 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"The Chinese government wants to make the technology [vitro fertilization], which it made legal in 2001, more accessible. It has promised to cover some of the cost — typically several thousand dollars for each round — under national medical insurance. It is one of more than a dozen policy measures that Chinese officials are throwing at what they see as a very big problem — a fertility rate so low that China’s population has started to shrink" (para 5). "China recently promised to build at least one facility offering I.V.F. for every 2.3 million to three million people by 2025. It currently has 539 medical institutions and 27 sperm banks...more
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-2, GIC-LAW-1

"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5).
Oct. 17, 2024, 6:46 p.m.
Countries: Mexico
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the practice of womb surrogacy. According to the ruling, surrogates are not to receive compensation for their services, limiting the exchange of money to cover expenses related to the pregnancy. The court also decided that the specifics of legislation regulating the practice would be up to individual states" (par. 1-3).
Oct. 9, 2024, 7:59 p.m.
Countries: Belize
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"The 2011 Revised Labour Act maintained the maternity leave entitlement of a female worker at fourteen weeks on full pay. It coincides with the Social Security Act which stipulates that 80 per cent maternity benefits are paid from Social Security while the employer pays the difference. The Act reiterates that women who do not qualify for maternity benefits from Social Security are to be paid by the employer. Women who experience complications from delivery, can claim sickness benefits if unable to return to work once maternity leave expires" (33).
April 30, 2024, 5:55 p.m.
Countries: South Africa
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"South Africa’s laws and regulations do cater for non-standard workers. They’re supposed to get health protection in the workplace, maternity leave and job security. But the policy framework is fragmented and employers don’t always comply. For instance, some women lose their income for the months they are on maternity leave" (para 16).
April 19, 2024, 3:06 p.m.
Countries: Serbia
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[F]inancial incentives are offered for mothers with three or more children" (7).
March 30, 2024, 2:46 p.m.
Countries: Lithuania
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[T]he package of basic services for families,[ strengthens] the socioeconomic status of women and provid[es] additional social benefits for mothers with five or more children" (12-13). "[T]he first two months of the parental leave quota, including leave for mothers and for fathers, [are] non -transferrable for both parents" (13).
Jan. 19, 2024, 12:06 p.m.
Countries: Central African Rep
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[An aim] of the [National Education Sector] strategy To is to] promote the establishment of preschools" (15).
Jan. 16, 2024, 6:33 p.m.
Countries: Botswana
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"The Employment (Amendment) Act of 2010 has set a minimum pay of 50% salary for women on maternity leave as compared to the previous dispensation where it was left to the discretion of the employer" (19, 30).
Jan. 4, 2024, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Every Singaporean also received a one-off cash pay-out from the Care and Support package, Solidarity Payment and the Solidarity Utilities Credit" (5). "Shared Parental Leave was increased from 1 to 4 weeks" (6). "In 2017, the Government legislated the second week of Government-Paid Paternity Leave, and increased Shared Parental Leave from one to four weeks. Childcare and Infant Care Leave entitlements are also extended equally to working fathers and mothers" (14)."Preschool services have been made more affordable through universal subsidies for all families with Singaporean children enrolled in childcare and infant care programmes, and additional means-tested subsidies for low- and middle-income families" (15).
Dec. 5, 2023, 11:18 a.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[T]he lack of social welfare provisions for families such as free or low-cost childcare [are factors behind low fertility]" (pp 12). "The government has tried to address some of the social complaints with new policies on tax deductions, childcare, parental leave, and the costs associated with raising children. It banned the $1bn private tutoring industry to improve study-life balance and assist parents who couldn’t afford the growing competition" (pp 19).
Nov. 28, 2023, 1:11 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"The high cost of childcare is a major deterrent to having children in China" (pp 4). "China has been trying to encourage couples to have more children with tax breaks and cash handouts, as well as more generous maternity leave, medical insurance and housing subsidies" (pp 16).
Nov. 21, 2023, 6:10 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"The Court of Appeal has upheld legislation which allows the abortion of babies with Down's syndrome up until birth, after a challenge by a woman with the condition" (para. 1).
Nov. 21, 2023, 5:44 p.m.
Countries: Australia
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Saturday that the government would boost paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks in a staged plan to be rolled out by July 2026" (para. 1). "Eventually, all families with a new baby will be able to access six months of leave shared between two parents and paid at the rate of the national minimum wage" (para. 2). "Single parents will be able to access the full 26 weeks, while the leave will be made more flexible with parents able to take it in blocks between periods of paid work" (para. 3). "The ACTU noted Australia currently had one of the lowest-paid parental...more
Nov. 6, 2023, 11:49 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Thirty-one provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country have refined their policies on additional leave as a reward for compliance with family planning requirements, to explicitly provide that women are entitled to such leave of one to nine months, in addition to the 98 days of statutory maternity leave, and that men are entitled to paid paternity leave of 7 to 31 days" (22). "From 2009 to 2016, the Central Government earmarked 22.6 billion yuan as grants for more than 74 million rural pregnant women" (27).
Nov. 3, 2023, 11:41 a.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

“Women who do not want to sacrifice their careers are now simply choosing not to have children. South Korea's fertility rate (the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime) has fallen to 0.81, the lowest in the world. Its population is predicted to halve by the end of the century, meaning it may not have enough people to sustain its economy and conscript into its army” (para 32). The barrier between motherhood and having a career suggests a lack of sufficient pro-natalist policies (ET - CODER COMMENT).
Oct. 10, 2023, 3:49 p.m.
Countries: United States
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"Tuesday, June 27, 2023: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act takes effect today, requiring employers to make 'reasonable accommodations' for pregnant and postpartum workers" (para 1). “'Today’s Senate vote is a historic victory that has been more than 10 years in the making,' said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. 'When this end-of year package passes the House and is signed into law, it will no longer be the case that pregnant workers can be ousted from their jobs for simply requesting basic accommodations like permission to sit on a stool, carry a bottle of water, or take additional bathroom breaks" (para 5). “'Before this...more
Oct. 10, 2023, 12:58 p.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"During a visit to a nursery in September, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol admitted that more than $200 billion has been spent trying to boost the population over the past 16 years" (para 8). "Yet since assuming office in May, his administration has come up with few ideas for solving the problem other than continuing in a similar vein – setting up a committee to discuss the issue and promising yet more financial support for newborns. A monthly allowance for parents with babies up to 1-year-old will increase from the current 300,000 won to 700,000 won ($230 to $540) in 2023 and to 1 million Korean won ($770) by...more
Oct. 4, 2023, 6:58 a.m.
Countries: Angola
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[T]he approval of General Labour Act No. 7/15 on 15 June 2015, provides for maternity leave and the availability of microcredits for women... [A]ccess to food subsidies, maternity allowances and credits is conditional on engagement in the formal employment sector [is concerning]" (11).
Sept. 30, 2023, 4 p.m.
Countries: Kazakhstan
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"The Committee welcomes the strategic development plan for the period up to 2025, but is concerned that the State party’s development efforts have not translated into substantive equality for women with increased social and economic benefits. In particular, it notes with concern the following: (a) The lack of access to social security benefits and childcare allowances for unemployed women and women employed in the informal sector; (b) The low social benefits and the lack of high-quality rented accommodation provided to large families living in poverty" (pp.14-15).
Sept. 18, 2023, 2 a.m.
Countries: Bhutan
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-1, LBHO-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3, ABO-LAW-1

"Writing the previous year, Wangdi pointed explicitly to gaps in economic and governmental participation, with far fewer women than men in the civil service workforce and women making up just 8.5 percent of the National Assembly and 24 percent of the National Council. On a personal level, female reproductive rights lag in certain aspects. While women in the public and private sectors receive three months’ maternity leave with 100 percent of their wages, abortion is illegal except in certain specific cases, leading many women to cross into India and seek abortions in unsafe conditions" (para.4).
Sept. 18, 2023, 2 a.m.
Countries: Bhutan
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-1, LBHO-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3, ABO-LAW-1

"Writing the previous year, Wangdi pointed explicitly to gaps in economic and governmental participation, with far fewer women than men in the civil service workforce and women making up just 8.5 percent of the National Assembly and 24 percent of the National Council. On a personal level, female reproductive rights lag in certain aspects. While women in the public and private sectors receive three months’ maternity leave with 100 percent of their wages, abortion is illegal except in certain specific cases, leading many women to cross into India and seek abortions in unsafe conditions" (para.4).
Aug. 24, 2023, 1:08 a.m.
Countries: Cape Verde
Variables: GIC-LAW-1

"[G]ender stereotypes are [persistent and] a root cause of the assignment of a disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic work, child-raising and care of family members to women and the insufficient maternity leave afforded to women, thereby limiting their access to the labour market;" (9). "[T]he period of maternity leave [is] two [months]" (10). The CEDAW committee recommends this be increased to four months (MV- coder comment). "[P]aternity leave [is not established] to be taken within the first two weeks of the child's birth" (10).
Aug. 15, 2023, 6:17 a.m.
Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"The prevalence of violations against women and girls working in the informal sector and in domestic work, particularly with regard to sexual harassment in the workplace and violations of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, the guarantee of the minimum salary, paid leave, maternity and paternity leave and the respect of maximum working hours (for domestic workers), the lack of implementation of relevant national legislation, and the concentration of women in the informal labour market and their exclusion from labour and social protection" (11-12).