Family law governs some of the most personal and pivotal aspects of life, marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance. For women and girls, it directly influences autonomy, financial stability, safety, and equality. Yet, across many countries, family law remains one of the most resistant areas to reform, often reflecting deeply entrenched gender bias.
When women are denied equality in the home, their ability to thrive in public life, including in education, employment, politics, and leadership, is also undermined. Discrimination in the family fuels cycles of poverty, violence, and exclusion.
Discriminatory family laws take many forms, including:
These inequalities don’t end at home. They also restrict women’s:
Legal equality in the family isn’t just a human rights issue, it’s a pathway to economic growth. Research has found that if women were to achieve full parity in the workforce, the global economy would increase by USD 7 trillion. Legal reforms, especially to family laws, are a key first step.
World Bank data confirms that restrictions on married women’s legal capacity, such as the right to work, travel, or inherit, are clear predictors of lower economic participation.
Yet, progress is slow. A 2024 World Bank report found women still earn less than men, receiving only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences of weak family law protections were felt acutely by women around the world.
International and regional human rights frameworks affirm the obligation to eliminate discrimination in family law:
We’re working to eliminate sex discrimination in family law, because without equality at home, equality in society is impossible.
Our efforts include:
