Sex discrimination in laws governing economic status restricts women from being economically independent, limiting access to inheritance and property ownership as well as employment opportunities, thereby reinforcing gender stereotypes.

What is discrimination in economic status? 

Sex discrimination in economic status includes: 

• Inheritance and Property Rights 
• Employment 

Why Is this an Issue? 

Sex discrimination in economic status laws restricts women from being economically independent, limiting access to inheritance and property ownership as well as to employment opportunities, thereby reinforcing gender stereotypes and roles.

What is the Impact on Women and Girls? 

Sex discriminatory labor (e.g. types of jobs and hours), property, inheritance, retirement, and parental leave laws inhibit women’s full social and economic participation and opportunities, hurting them – including by making them more vulnerable to exploitation, their families, communities, and society as a whole. Women are more likely to live on less than $1.90 a day than men.

What Needs to Change?

Revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration of justice (para 232(d)); provide constitutional guarantees and/or enact appropriate legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. 

Beijing Platform for Action Recommendations

Strategic Objective 1.2. Ensure equality and non-discrimination under the law and in practice Actions to be taken by Governments: 

232(d) – Review national laws, including customary laws and legal practices in the areas of family, civil, penal, labour and commercial law in order to ensure the implementation of the principles and procedures of all relevant international human rights instruments by means of national legislation, revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration of justice; 

 232(b) – provide constitutional guarantees and/or enact appropriate legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex for all women and girls of all ages and assure women of all ages equal rights and their full enjoyment; Strategic objective F.1. Promote women’s economic rights and independence, including access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources Actions to be taken by Governments: • 

165(b) – Adopt and implement laws against discrimination based on sex in the labour market, especially considering older women workers, hiring and promotion, the extension of employment benefits and social security, and working conditions; 

 165(e) – Undertake legislation and administrative reforms to give women equal rights with men to economic resources, including access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, credit, inheritance, natural resources and appropriate new technology.