Stephan: Today, on the television on two different programs I heard commentators make statements about American exceptionalism. It is one of the most often reiterated lies I hear from politicians. The truth: by almost any social outcome measure you care to mention the U.S. lags far behind other developed nations. Here is the data on equal gender opportunity. As the data shows, "the U.S. isn't even in the top 60 nations for legal environments that promote women in business."
Only six countries have laws that give women equal economic opportunity to men: Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden, according to a new World Bank report. (emphasis added)
Why it matters: The global average scores showed that, on average, women are afforded only three-quarters the legal rights of men in the categories chosen for the study. And legal opportunity is the bare minimum, as laws do not solve discriminatory societal pressures or cultural biases.
All nations studied made progress in legal equality over the past decade, but “this is just a first step in the right direction,” Rita Ramalho, a lead author of the report, told Axios.
- The U.S. isn’t even in the top 60 nations for legal environments that promote women in business.
- 35 nations have implemented laws against sexual harassment in the workplace over the past decade. In the past two years, the #MeToo movement has spread from the U.S. to the world, drawing attention to toxic work environments for women.
- 33 economies introduced laws that require businesses to offer paid paternity leave. The […]
