The Philippines’ score in a recent World Bank index which looks into laws and regulations that affect women’s economic opportunities has declined by 2.5 points from the previous year.
According to the report released yesterday titled “Women, Business and the Law 2021”, the Philippines scored 78.8 in the 2021 index, versus the 81.3 recorded in the 2020 index, indicating that the country was unable to further improve legal gender equality.
The Philippines’ score however is above the average global score of 76.1 out of 100.
The World Bank said reforms to remove obstacles to women’s economic inclusion have been slow in many regions and uneven within them. On average, women have just three-quarters of the legal rights afforded to men.
“Women need to be fully included in economies in order to achieve better development outcomes. Despite progress in many countries, there have been troubling reversals in a few, including restricting women’s travel without the permission of a male guardian,” David Malpass, World Bank group president, said in a statement.
“This pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities that disadvantage girls and women, including barriers to attend school and maintain jobs. Women are also facing a rise in domestic violence and health and safety challenges. Women should have the same access to finance and the same rights to inheritance as men and must be at the center of our efforts toward an inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. – Angela Celis
