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A decade-long study found that only 6 countries have equal rights for women and men - and the US isn't one of them

Aria Bendix   

A decade-long study found that only 6 countries have equal rights for women and men - and the US isn't one of them

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

  • A World Bank report gave six nations a perfect score for achieving equal rights between men and women under the law.
  • All six nations are in Europe, which has some of the most progressive childcare and paid leave policies in the world.
  • Women in a typical economy have only three-quarters of the rights of men, the report found.

The last decade has secured numerous victories for gender equality around the world.

India criminalized child marriage, women in Saudi Arabia won the legal right to drive, and Suriname's "nationality law" was overturned, allowing women to pass citizenship to their children without marrying someone from the same country.

But only six countries have achieved true gender parity under the law, according to a recent report by The World Bank.

Read more: 6 charts show how much more men make than women

The report looked at how legislation affects women's economic decisions across eight indicators: the ability to travel, start a job, get married, have children, run a business, get paid, manage assets, and obtain a pension.

Countries with 100 points earned a perfect score, but the global average was around 75 points. This led the authors to conclude that "a typical economy only gives women three-quarters the rights of men."

The United States scored an 84, but lost points due to its parental leave policies. Nations in the Middle East and North Africa earned a much lower average of 47 points.

Take a look at how six countries - Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden - have achieved equal rights under the law over the last decade.

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