Women’s economic opportunityA new global index and ranking19. A Sen, “Gender andcooperative conflict”, WorkingPaper of the World Instituteof Development <strong>Economic</strong>sResearch, 1986, in Irene Tinker(ed.), Persistent Inequalities:Women and World Development,Oxford University Press, 1990.20. L Friedman and S Couper,“The Cost of Domestic Violence:A Preliminary Investigation ofthe Financial Cost of DomesticViolence”, Victim ServicesAgency: New York, 1987. S Lloyd,“The Effects of Domestic Violenceon Women’s Employment”, Lawand Policy, Vol. 19, No. 2, 1997,pages 139-167.21. A Morrison and M B Orlando,“The Socioeconomic Costsof Domestic Violence: Chileand Nicaragua”, in Morrisonand Biehl (eds.), Too Close toHome: Domestic Violence inthe Americas, Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank: WashingtonDC, 1999.22. “Intimate Partner Violence:High Costs to Household andCommunities”, InternationalCentre for Research on Women:Washington, DC, 2009.23. http://www.unicef.org/sowc07/profiles/inequality_household.phpThe adolescent fertility rate also features in the <strong>Index</strong>, in part because academic research suggests anegative correlation between early child-bearing and education, wages and employment. The bargainingpower within a household is radically altered in a man’s favour if his wife has lower levels of education andearnings, and if she has fewer assets at her disposal. 19 According to the UN Department for <strong>Economic</strong> andSocial Affairs, from which the data were sourced, countries with the highest adolescent fertility rates areconcentrated in Africa, followed by the Americas. Rates are considerably lower in many countries in Asia,with the lowest in Europe.The <strong>Index</strong> also considers if countries have laws that address violence against women, in three areas:domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault/violence. Of the counties in the <strong>Index</strong>, 61 havelaws that protect women against all three kinds of violence, with a further 33 providing protection intwo areas. (The quality and enforcement of a law is as important as its existence, but this was beyond thescope of this pilot <strong>Index</strong>.) Physical threats (a dangerous environment) against women may discouragethem from working or setting up a business. The effects of violence can also impede a woman’s abilityto perform to her full capacity in the workplace. The academic literature, however, has drawn no firmconclusions on the impact of domestic violence on employment. Some studies suggest that althoughviolence may not prevent a woman from finding employment, it may hinder her ability to keep a job forvery long. 20 Morrison and Orlando (1999) 21 estimate that women in Santiago, Chile, who suffered fromdomestic violence earned only $150 per month, whereas those who did not earned more than doublethat. In Uganda, about 9% of violent incidents force women to lose time from paid work, amounting toapproximately 11 days a year (ICRW 2009). 22Freedom of movement, which also features in the <strong>Index</strong>, is a basic right that facilitates access toeducation, health and economic resources. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to “providefor their own needs, as well as those of their children, women require the ability to move freely withinand outside the household”. 23 Only a few governments have laws that prohibit women from leaving theirhomes or the country in which they reside without the permission of a male relative or guardian (thisincludes restrictions on a woman’s ability to obtain a passport). These include Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syriaand Yemen. But cultural attitudes prevalent in Western Asia and Northern Africa may prevent some womenfrom easily leaving their homes on their own or without permission. Indeed, the freedom of movementindicator—a qualitative assessment from the OECD Development Centre—shows that women in 21countries face cultural barriers to moving outside their homes.37© <strong>Economist</strong> <strong>Intelligence</strong> <strong>Unit</strong> Limited 2010
Women’s economic opportunityA new global index and rankingWomen’s Legal and Social StatusAfricaAmericasEuropeAsiaRank Country Score1 Tunisia 89.62 Mauritius 86.53 Botswana 84.94 South Africa 79.65 Senegal 78.16 Namibia 77.57 Kenya 73.18 Morocco 71.79 Ghana 70.810 Burkina Faso 69.811 Madagascar 69.112 Egypt 65.713 Benin 64.914 Tanzania 64.015 Nigeria 58.716 Zambia 58.317 Algeria 58.118 Côte d’Ivoire 55.319 Togo 52.620 Ethiopia 50.521 Malawi 49.922 Chad 48.323 Uganda 46.924 Cameroon 42.125 Sudan 20.6Rank Country Score1 Canada 98.7=2 Costa Rica 93.6=2 Uruguay 93.64 Paraguay 93.45 Panama 91.36 Brazil 89.47 Peru 89.08 El Salvador 88.29 Mexico 86.610 Colombia 85.211 Dominican Republic 85.012 Honduras 83.913 Argentina 83.714 Venezuela 80.715 Nicaragua 78.816 Ecuador 78.117 <strong>Unit</strong>ed States 75.918 Chile 75.119 Bolivia 74.3OceaniaRank Country Score1 Australia 88.62 New Zealand 87.2Rank Country Score1 Netherlands 99.82 Slovenia 99.7=3 Denmark 99.6=3 Sweden 99.6=5 Finland 99.3=5 Norway 99.3=7 Belgium 99.2=7 Germany 99.2=7 Luxembourg 99.2=10 Czech Republic 99.1=10 Greece 99.112 Spain 99.013 Croatia 98.914 Iceland 98.715 Portugal 98.416 Lithuania 98.217 Hungary 98.118 Serbia 97.719 Romania 96.520 Bulgaria 96.221 Albania 93.922 Estonia 93.123 Poland 92.224 Slovak Republic 91.325 Moldova 90.926 Ukraine 90.427 Switzerland 89.828 Italy 89.529 France 89.430 Austria 89.031 Ireland 88.432 <strong>Unit</strong>ed Kingdom 87.533 Latvia 86.834 Russia 83.9Rank Country Score1 Cambodia 89.82 Japan 88.03 Kazakhstan 85.74 Kyrgyz Republic 85.65 Georgia 84.76 Azerbaijan 83.97 Israel 83.68 Thailand 80.49 Turkey 79.910 Armenia 79.311 Korea, Rep. 78.312 Hong Kong, China 78.113 China 78.014 Singapore 77.915 Sri Lanka 77.316 Philippines 74.517 Laos 72.018 Vietnam 69.919 Malaysia 68.920 India 58.821 Jordan 55.622 Kuwait 55.423 Bahrain 55.324 Syria 54.025 Indonesia 53.226 <strong>Unit</strong>ed Arab Emirates 52.827 Oman 50.728 Pakistan 49.829 Lebanon 48.330 Bangladesh 45.231 Saudi Arabia 41.132 Iran 37.633 Yemen 36.838© <strong>Economist</strong> <strong>Intelligence</strong> <strong>Unit</strong> Limited 2010
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