This International Women’s Day, it’s time to invest in legal equality and unlock women’s potential. 

In 2024, there are still billions of women living without full legal equality.

Laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and/or gender represent a violation of the basic human rights of women and girls everywhere. And, in limiting access by half of the world’s population to education, employment, and property ownership, sex-discriminatory laws also stifle economic growth.

• Education is critical to all aspects of social, economic, and political life, yet millions of girls are legally excluded from school and prevented from getting a formal education.

• Occupational freedom is associated with greater chances of employment, yet laws exist in every part of the world that curtail women’s rights to choose their own work.

• Equitable land ownership promotes wealth creation and provides economic stability, yet nearly 40% of countries still impose legal constraints on women’s property rights.

Full and equal economic participation by women would increase global GDP by more than a quarter, representing nearly $28 trillion of additional shared wealth being contributed to the worldwide economy every year. Ending legal discrimination leaves communities everywhere free to break the cycle of poverty, boosting global productivity and stimulating economic prosperity across all nations.

That’s why, in 2024, we are asking you to help us unlock the potential of women everywhere by investing in legal equality.

Unlock women’s potential. Unlock the world.

At Equality Now, we believe that full legal equality is an achievable goal that will open the door to a more productive world for everyone.

Over the past 30 years, we have contributed to the elimination or progressive amendment of 85 discriminatory laws across the world.

We have the knowledge, expertise, and capacity to support governments around the world to fast-track global economic growth through the reform of national legislation, customary laws, and legal practices in the areas of family, civil, penal, labor, and commercial law. 

But we need your help. Together, we can unlock women’s potential and unlock the world. 

What you can do to unlock women’s potential: