Family law
The laws that restrict women’s property, marriage and inheritance rights, are among the least reformed areas of law globally, but reform is imperative for the economic and social progress of all.
When our laws treat everyone fairly, everyone benefits
In every part of the world, women and girls are prevented from fully participating in society by discrimination in the law, including in terms of economic justice and rights, personal status, family law, nationality rights, and many other areas.
The impact of this is felt most directly by girls, women, and their families, but the wider economic and social consequences affect everyone: research has shown that if women were to achieve full parity in the workforce, the global economy would increase by USD 7 trillion.
When women have equal legal rights, societies are more just, economies grow, and human rights are strengthened. Yet as of 2024, according to figures from the World Bank, not a single country had achieved full legal equality. At the current rate, the UN estimates it will take nearly 300 years to eliminate discriminatory laws worldwide.
At Equality Now, we know that for all women and girls to enjoy substantive gender equality, both in law and in practice, governments must ensure that all laws, whether codified, religious, or customary, do not discriminate, and that equality is applied universally.
We work at every level, national, regional, and global, to ensure that sex-discriminatory laws are eliminated, while also advocating for the adoption and implementation of strong legal frameworks that promote universal equality.
Our global legal team identifies and challenges sex-discriminatory laws through legal research, advocacy, and strategic litigation. We track progress through our expert reports and briefings, pushing for constitutional and legislative equality worldwide.
We convene and connect civil society, academics, and other actors to drive the movement for equality forward. From the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights to the Hurra Coalition in the Middle East and North Africa, we know that our voices are stronger together.
From championing the ratification of the Maputo Protocol in over 40 countries as secretariat of the SOAWR coalition, to challenging the failure to repeal sex-discriminatory laws at international, regional, and national levels, our targeted advocacy has led to real reform benefitting millions of women and girls.
We are helping shape a digital future where gender equality is integrated into policy, platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) governance through our work with the Alliance For Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi).
Our expertise: Explore policy and practice
