According to the World Bank report released on Tuesday, Nepal scores 80.6 points out of 100 in Women, Business and the Law 2022 index. The score outpaces all the countries of South Asia as India scores 74.4, Maldives – 73.8, Bhutan – 71.9, Sri Lanka – 65.6, Pakistan – 55.6, Bangladesh – 49.4, and Afghanistan 38.1.
The Women, Business and the Law 2022 distinguishes the laws and regulations that promote gender equality and promote narrowing the gender gaps between men and women in the economic sector.
The index measures 8 areas – mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pension. According to the report by World Bank, Nepal scored 100 in three indicators – Workplace (analyzes law affecting women’s decision to work), Pay (measures laws and regulations affecting women’s pay) and Marriage (assess legal constraints related to marriage).
Nepal scored 80 in Assets (considers gender differences in property and inheritance), 75 in all Mobility (examines constraints on freedom of movement), Entrepreneurship (analyzes constraints on women’s starting and running businesses), and Pension (Assess laws affecting the sizes o a woman’s pension).
However, Nepal scores only 40 points in parenthood (examines laws affecting women’s work after having children) due to the lack of paid maternal leave of at least 14 weeks, government-administered maternity leave benefits or paid paternal leave.
