Gender and Development

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p. 21 of 21 BACK | NEXT Gender Thematic RETAs Gender and Institutional Support RETAs Gender and Legal RETAs Establishing Legal Identity for Social Inclusion Legal Literacy Sociolegal Status of Women

Gender and Legal RETAs

Sociolegal Status of Women in Selected DMCs, 1996

Existing laws in many DMCs discriminate against women and constrain them from achieving their full potential to equally participate in all spheres of economic and social life. But formal legal rights alone do not necessarily improve women's lives unless an initial step of eliminating discriminatory laws is taken. Women's awareness of their legal rights and the confidence to use the legal system, change in social attitudes and the practice of justice all contribute to a thorough understanding of the socio-legal status of women.

The RETA conducted an assessment of the legal constraints to women's active participation in economic and social activities based on a compilation of knowledge from country studies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The individual country studies were presented in national workshops and in a regional symposium that facilitated an exchange of experiences and explored common strategies and approaches to improve the legal frameworks to be able to meet the changing needs of women in the region.

A publication presents the findings and recommendations of the four country studies validated during the national and regional workshops. The regional overview study also makes recommendations for addressing women's socio-legal status in ADB's operations at the policy, sector, country and regional levels. These findings were not only relevant to the ADB's gender activities but also the overarching goal of poverty reduction and related initiatives on governance and social development.

Back Legal Literacy	Gender-Focused Regional Technical Assistance -- RETA