The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for ATDW-LAW-2

June 20, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
Countries: Nicaragua
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Under the Civil Code, which has been in force since 1904, women have equal legal capacity to enter freely into contracts, including with their spouses, administer their own property and represent themselves in court." (31).
Sept. 16, 2022, 6:18 p.m.
Countries: New Zealand
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"It can be hard for separating couples to determine what's 'fair"'when one walks away with much more than the other. Tim and Sophie Biggs, a former Queenstown couple who are believed to be involved in New Zealand's biggest divorce settlement, valued at $59 million, have been arguing over exactly that. Tim Biggs argues his wife should get 15 per cent of the relationship property. But she is seeking an equal share, and a share of her estranged husband's wealth available to him via his trusts and companies" (para 23-24). "University of Auckland associate professor in the department of commercial law Alex Sims said the original law had been intended to...more
Aug. 28, 2021, 11:07 a.m.
Countries: Estonia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Spouses retain the same personal rights upon entering into marriage as they had before the marriage relationship. Equality of the spouses is protected by law" (42).
July 16, 2021, 2:45 p.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Judicial authorities scrapped Paragraph B under article No. 169 of the 'Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts' which states that an adult single, divorced, or widowed woman shall be handed over to her male guardian. It was replaced with a new legal text stipulating that 'An adult woman has the right to choose where to live. A woman’s guardian can report her only if he has evidence proving she committed a crime'" (para 4-5).
June 18, 2021, 3:20 p.m.
Countries: Angola
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"The Committee welcomes the adoption, in 2015, of Presidential Decree No. 36/15, which approves the legal regime for the recognition of domestic partnerships by mutual consent and the dissolution of recognized domestic partnerships. It takes note of the information provided by the State party that its legislation does not discriminate against women in matters of inheritance and of the State party’s goal that 30 per cent of women should own land by 2063. The Committee remains concerned, however, that, in matters of inheritance, customary law continues to be discriminatory towards women and girls, as it divests them of their land titles" (pg 15).
April 22, 2021, 1:51 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"The CRA prohibits both the marriage of those considered to be children and the betrothal of children. In relation to child marriages, Part III Section 21 states: No person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and accordingly a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect whatsoever. Also, Part III Section 22, which prohibits the betrothal of children, maintains that ‘[n]o parent, guardian or any other person shall betroth a child to any person’. A contravention of either section 21 or section 22 amounts to a fine of 500 000 Naira (the equivalent of £2 046 or $3 123) or...more
April 21, 2021, 8:45 p.m.
Countries: Mauritania
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"""Article 7 of the PSC provides that if a guardian authorised the marriage of the minor (or incapacitated person) purely in the interest of the guardian and not in the interest of the minor, the guardian would be subject to the penalties provided in the Penal Code"" (Page 3). It can be assumed that if a minor has a guardian when married- and if the marriage was determined by the guardian to be in the child's best interest- if the child were to be divorced while still under the age of majority, they would return to being a minor in the custody of the original guardian. This because the guardian...more
Dec. 7, 2019, 10:50 a.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"This system negates the many progressive electoral and legal changes that were put in place in Somalia before the war. In 1975, for instance, changes to the family law made men and women equal in the eyes of the legal system and secured matrimonial property for women in the event of a divorce. This law is no longer in use in Somalia—nor even in Somaliland, an autonomous region that considers itself more progressive than Mogadishu" (5).
June 17, 2019, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: MARR-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-2

"Under the kingdom’s restrictive guardianship system, women are legal minors and cannot marry, divorce, travel, get a job, be released from prison or have elective surgery without permission from their male guardians. Women are also forbidden from mixing freely with members of the opposite sex" (para 3).
Dec. 20, 2017, 1:15 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Even though renting a home remains a major hurdle because landlords require a man to sign, Ms. Yaganah has had a breakthrough. 'This year, I have an achievment: I signed the lease myself for the first time' she said. 'But I told the owner of the house that my husband went to Germany as refugee -- I did not tell him that I was divorced" (35-36). It would seem that women are seen as minors because landlords will not accept the signature of a woman on her own to rent a home (EJ-Coder Comment).
June 21, 2017, 12:01 p.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Since Saudi women must have a designated male guardian, divorced women are made to return to their father’s or another male relative’s home" (p 7)
April 18, 2017, 12:30 p.m.
Countries: Mauritania
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Women Mauritanian females have a legal right to equality, but they are still considered minors in a court of law" (792).
Aug. 26, 2016, 8:31 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-LAW-2

"Lawyer Rajan Chettiar recalled a client, a housewife in her 60s, who endured a deadbeat, abusive husband for more than 30 years for her children's sake. When she finally filed for divorce, she had terminal cancer and he was puzzled by her insistence on ending the marriage. 'She told me she wanted to die peacefully and as a free woman,' he said. The woman died a year after her divorce" (para 16-17)
Aug. 26, 2016, 8:22 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-LAW-2

“When the wife gets custody [of her children after a divorce], she likely invites members of her extended family to move in with her to help with the children” (179)
Aug. 23, 2016, 8:32 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"A woman was also given the right to her husband’s property when he dies, without interference from his surviving extended family; prior to this, if a husband died without a will, his estate would have been divided between his parents and brothers. The practice of 'wife inheritance,' whereby a widow was forcibly married to her late husband’s brother, was also outlawed. The laws were passed in part in response to pressure from international groups such as Amnesty International" (1094)
Aug. 23, 2016, 8:32 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"...new laws also bolstered women’s rights by registering customary marriages—common-law marriages created through traditional religious ceremonies—which thus extended to the wives of such marriages the same legal, inheritance, and property rights that other wives enjoyed" (1094)
Aug. 23, 2016, 7:36 a.m.
Countries: Slovenia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"[During the regime of the Socialst Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-92)] Spousal equality was established...and when a marriage was dissolved, spouses were treated as equals, with their common property (acquired during the marriage) divided equally between them" (1112)
Aug. 22, 2016, 9:02 a.m.
Countries: Solomon Islands
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"Although the constitution grants equality regardless of gender, customary law often favors the father. This is particularly true if the father’s family has paid a bride price, since custom may view the woman as a purchase and hence progeny of the marriage as the property of the father and his family" (1130)
Aug. 22, 2016, 8:52 a.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"The Family Code of Senegal grants parental authority solely to the father, although in practice the number of households headed by women is increasing, in part because of the rapid rise in divorce" (1077)
Aug. 22, 2016, 8:39 a.m.
Countries: Rwanda
Variables: SMES-DATA-1, SMES-DATA-2, SMES-DATA-3, ATDW-LAW-2

"One-third of all families are headed by females. Two-thirds of those families live below the poverty line. Single mothers with children have status as legal heads of household with full parental authority. In two-parent households, mothers and fathers share authority. Among more traditional families that are subject to customary law, males remain dominant" (1051)
Aug. 16, 2016, 8:32 a.m.
Countries: Niger
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"A constitution ratified in 1960 established the family as a reserved domain. As a result, customary law has continued to dominate all aspects of family law. A proposed family code languished in the legislature for decades before it finally collapsed in 2006 because of the objections of religious fundamentalists. In Niger, wives are bound by Sharia law to obey their husbands, who have the right to repudiate or beat them according to their own whims. Divorces must be registered to be considered valid. Women have constitutional and legal rights to equality, but most women are relegated to subservient positions under customary law. For their entire lives, Nigerien women are controlled...more
Aug. 15, 2016, 12:07 p.m.
Countries: Romania
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

No - the constitution, in Title I Article 4.2, states that "Romania is the common and indivisible homeland of all its citizens, without any discrimination on account of race, nationality, ethnic origin, language, religion, sex, opinion, political adherence, property or social origin" (para 13), and there is no data saying women do not live independent lives after divorce (RNP-CODER COMMENT)
Aug. 12, 2016, 7:18 a.m.
Countries: North Korea
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"...women legally have rights equal to those of men according to the North Korean constitution" (646)
Aug. 8, 2016, 12:07 p.m.
Countries: Nicaragua
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-PRACTICE-3, ATDW-LAW-2

"Divorce law was liberalized in 1988, late in the Sandinista era. Nicaraguan divorce is now no-fault, and either spouse may file for it; it is not necessary to demonstrate grounds or fault, although in determining child support or the custody of children, the circumstances leading to the divorce may need to be addressed. The civil code and the constitution grant equal rights to men and women, but there are real restrictions on women’s rights both in the law and especially in societal expectations and biases. Although it is not often enforced, a 1940 law requires a married woman to live in the residence of her husband’s choice, for instance, which...more
Aug. 6, 2016, 4:55 p.m.
Countries: New Zealand
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

"The only grounds for divorce is that your relationship has broken down and is at an end – and the only way to prove this to the Court is by living apart for at least two years. Note that this can include brief periods of living together for a total of up to three months - but the court must be satisfied that these were attempts at getting back together" (para 16)
July 27, 2016, 4:25 p.m.
Countries: Venezuela
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

After review of the family law and Laws of Venezuela, it can be determined that a woman does not become a minor to another male after divorce (CCR - CODER COMMENT)
July 27, 2016, 3:24 p.m.
Countries: Uruguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

“Section I Legal separation Art.148 A legal separation can only take place: 1) Because either one of the spouses was adulterous 2) Because of a condemned attempt against the life of the other spouse 3) Because of deep offenses against each other. The judge will determine what is considered a deep offense according to the degree of education and condition of the offended spouse. 4) Because the husbands proposes to prostitute his wife 5) Because either spouse intends to prostitute the children. 6) When there are constant and continuous fights between the spouses that make conjugal life unbearable. 7) If one spouse is sentenced to over 10 years in prison....more
July 26, 2016, 5:45 p.m.
Countries: Panama
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

After review of the constitution and family law books, we can conclude that the language in all laws regarding divorce ensures that women retain their status as adults after the divorce and do not become minors to other males. (CCR - CODER COMMENT)
July 26, 2016, 5:27 p.m.
Countries: Peru
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

After review of the constitution and family law books, we can conclude that Language in all laws regarding divorce ensures that women retain their status as adults after the divorce and do not become minors to other males. (CCR - CODER COMMENT)
July 26, 2016, 12:22 p.m.
Countries: Paraguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-2

After review of the constitution and family law books, we can conclude that the language in all laws regarding divorce ensure that women retain their status as adults after the divorce and do not become minors to other males. (MLFD - CODER COMMENT)