Equality for Women = Prosperity for All: The Disastrous Global Crisis of Gender Inequality

Description

"Not only timely but profoundly important and a must-read."-Jackie Jones, Professor of Feminist Legal studies, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK The World Bank's enormous global project entitled Women, Business and the Law is the basis for many of the amazing findings presented in this startling volume. A systematic survey of 173 countries around the world was undertaken, and each economy was evaluated in terms of the answers to 47 questions concerning the rights of women in that locale. Typical examples of the 47 questions include: Can a woman, whether married or single, apply for a passport in the same way as a man? Can she travel outside the country? Can she sign a contract? Are there criminal sanctions for sexual harassment? There are 40 other equally pertinent questions asked. Astonishingly, the survey revealed a direct correlation between how many freedoms women enjoyed and how much prosperity was enjoyed by that particular country. This priceless and pioneering book proves irrefutably, once and for all, that freedom for women equals prosperity for all.

Augusto Lopez-Carlos is currently a Senior Fellow at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. From 2011 to 2017 he was the Director of the Global Indicators Group at the World Bank Group. He is a brilliant public speaker and a leading world authority on gender inequality and economics. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani is an Iranian writer who grew up in Uganda. Her novel The Saddlebag was an international bestseller. She has taught European and American literature, and now lives in France.

"This is an ideal book for policymakers who need to understand the broader picture of gender inequality and its impact...This book provides insights into the many ways that the oppression of women is tied to economic stagnation and too often shielded from policy interventions by arguments of national or cultural sovereignty." --Stanford Social Innovation Review "The authors compare the economies of gender-biased nations to those that promote equal rights, demonstrating the profound impact of inequality." --Booklist "Practical, intelligent, and focused on solutions...combines sound research across several disciplines to prove the simple math of its title and make the pressing case that governments should prioritize gender equality for reasons of economic stability." --Publisher's Weekly "Impressive in scope...inspiring." --Kirkus Reviews "A refreshing look at gender inequality. This book promises to be a major contribution to our understanding of a shamefully dark and endemic problem." --Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Chair, The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women Faculty of Law, Bar-Ilan University, Israel "Not only timely but profoundly important. The book's wide-ranging subjects convincingly make the case how gender inequality has and continues to cost the world too much: from the pandemic of violence against women and girls to religious and culture totalitarianism, it provides statistics and examples from every corner of the globe, it is truly a tour de force for anyone, not just scholars in the field, and a must-read." --Jackie Jones, Professor of Feminist Legal Studies, Department of Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK "A compelling and often disturbing read by two authors well read in other social sciences, religion and history--and with a fluid command of the pen. The chapter on violence against women is gripping and disturbing, its commonality amply documented. Do not overlook the chapter on culture, with its argument that incentives are what matter, and its thorough rejection of doctrinal beliefs as legitimate "cultural" traditions--a message for the Taliban and the Pope as well." --Nancy Birdaall, founding President of the Center for Global Development and former executive vice-president of the Inter-American Development Bank "This is a timely contribution to a better understanding of the negative economic impacts of gender inequality in society. Based on solid research and current data, the authors speak to the hearts as well as minds to all readers who are determined to find an antidote against this virus and bring an end to an egregious breach of human rights."--Maud de Boer Buquicchio, UN Special Rapporteurm, Former Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe "This book on the economic dimensions of gender inequality is full of insights on different cultures, on their selectivity in relation to women's rights and on the terrible consequences of gender inequality which result across the world. It is a thought-provoking analysis of how such inequality impacts every aspect of politics and society, whether at home, in the workplace, within particular countries or internationally. The authors argue that gender inequality is not just a moral concern but has a major economic impact as well. They point out that if Governments regulate other aspects of business, perhaps they should be obliged to regulate on the grounds of gender too."--Rt Hon Baroness Lindsay Northover, Member of the House of Lords, Former Minister in the Department for International Development, UK