Family Law Reforms Are Needed to Advance Gender Equality By Oritro Karim Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - (+++...)

Family Law Reforms Are Needed to Advance Gender Equality By Oritro Karim UNITED NATIONS, Sep 22 2026 (IPS) - On September 16, at the lead-up to the 81st UN General Assembly, Equality in Family Law (GCEFL), Equality Now, TrustLaw, and the World Bank Group convened in New York City for the event titled The Gender Equality Dividend: Investing in Women’s Economic Prosperity Through Family Law Reform. Hosted by APCO, the event introduced new data on barriers to family law reform and highlighted strategies to help the international community maximize women’s economic participation. Bringing together experts in legal reform and economic development, the event marked the launch of a landmark joint brief by the World Bank Group and Equality Now, titled Unlocking Women’s Economic Rights through Family Law Reform: Lessons from Case Studies across Five Regions. Drawing upon data collected from Chile, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, and Nepal, the brief examines the legal, social, and economic barriers that hinder gender equality, economic growth, and sustainable development. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/family-law-reforms-are-needed-to-advance-gender-equality/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Forty_Years_of_the_Right_to_Development_When_Growth_Excludes_Is_It_Still_Development_Floods_Hunger_a Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - The Gender Equality Dividend: Investing in Women’s Economic Prosperity Through Family Law Reform Join the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law (GCEFL), Equality Now, TrustLaw, and the World Bank Group for a conversation on the sidelines of UNGA on one of the most under-resourced, highest-leverage investments in global development: gender equality legal reform. https://ungaguide.com/events/the-gender-equality-dividend-investing-in-womens-economic-prosperity-through-family-law-reform/ Publicación: Unlocking Women’s Economic Rights through Family Law Reform: Lessons from Case Studies across Five Regions https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/c0954283-cf5b-47e0-bd81-a8e29d735e84 This Policy Brief draws on case studies from Chile, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, and Nepal to show the impact of family law on women’s economic opportunities, finding that family law reforms are key to expanding women’s access to property and economic decision making, yet progress is constrained by discriminatory social, religious, and cultural norms, while women’s rights groups are pivotal in advancing reforms, but patriarchal and religious barriers impede effective implementation, and calls for sustained global partnerships and international support to promote legal equality within families, highlighting its importance for achieving gender equality and inclusive economic growth.