Brief summary of presentation of information made

This is a UN CSW 65 Side Event hosted by United Nations Global Compact. It explains the economic impact of having discriminatory laws against women.

Moderator: Amanda Ellis, Director, Global Partnerships, ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Lab

Tea Trumblic, Program Manager for the Women, Business and Law Project, World Bank

• No country can achieve its full potential without the full participation of both men and women 
• Around the world, laws hinder women’s economic participation.

          - In countries where laws make it difficult to work, women might choose not to work

• Women tend to live longer than men but have less financial resources because they work less and earn less • More equal laws have better outcomes in narrowing the gender gap and increaseing female labour force participation due to more female parliamentarians who legislate equal or more equal laws that allow women to participate more in policy making 
• COVID-19 consequence on gender equality

         - More women are leaving the workforce because they are choosing to do so due to commuting restrictions and need of childcare

         - Wage inequality and pay gap has increased

         - In 40 countries, Governments are responding to childcare crisis (Better access to court system to deal with child custody and domestic violence) 

• Actually, women only have ¾ of the legal rights of men 
• Hight Income OECD countries perform better than developing countries
• The parent who earns less stays at home
• Occupation segregation occurs due to existing laws. For example, during the pandemic, more women participation is found in the health sector
• Bahrain, Costa Rica, Marshal Islands, Montenegro, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam are legislating in favour of equal pay
• Around the world, eight countries allow paternity leave for both parents
• 88 countries are still restricting women from certain jobs. A total of 2.6 billion women cannot choose their jobs

           - It can take from 30 to 50 years to obtain gender equality

• Over the last 11 years, only 10 out of 190 countries are legislating in favour of gender equality 

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?

It is important for The Salvation Army as an international Church to know how our brothers and sister live in all parts of the world. For example, in some developing countries, women cannot study or work in what they desire rather what it is allowed to them. However, God’s plan for everyone is to fulfil our lives and give us the desires of our hearts in accordance with his plan, and his plan it is always good. In John 10:10 NIV, Jesus says that he came to give us live and to have it in to the full. If we are in Christ, we can have eternal live, and an eternal life that can be share and expanded to others. We in our own strength cannot do it, but whatever that is impossible for us, it is possible for God and with God. Let’s challenge ourselves to speak in truth and with love for those who cannot defend their selves. Let’s seek justice and defend the oppressed. 

Web links for more information

Side Even Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZMaMiE6Mn4

World Bank Website: https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/wbl

Tags: SDG5: Gender Equality