July
14
The
Gender Law Library is a free database containing legal provisions from
183 economies around the world that directly or indirectly affect
women’s economic status, including women’s ability to find jobs, engage
in business activities, and become entrepreneurs. It includes national
statutory provisions, constitutional provisions, international treaties,
decrees, regulations and more. Many materials were added to the
collection because they explicitly address women; others were chosen
because they have a disparate impact on women. All are intended to
serve as objective indicators of the status of women, not to judge or
rank countries. The database is designed to assist researchers not only
with locating pertinent provisions, but also with conducting
comparative analysis of the laws and ultimately creating “reforms that
can enhance women’s full economic participation.” The materials are
generally organized into categories including geographic region, income
level grouping, legal topic, and type of law. Categories may be
accessed individually or via a selection of a combination thereof. The
more efficient manner by which to access materials, however, is through
six unique indicators located on the left side of the homepage. The
indicators were deliberately designed by the database creators to
organize its contents in a more practical manner. They group the laws
according to women’s legal abilities in the following categories:
“accessing institutions,” “using property,” “getting a job,” “dealing
with taxes,” “building credit,” and “going to court.” Selecting a
single indicator will in turn create a list of more narrow topics from
which to choose. Ultimately, all queries are conducted through a
selection of indicators and categories; no search feature is available
for entering customized search terms. As a result, some browsing may be
necessary to locate a specific document, but the system is very
efficient overall. Materials are typically provided in searchable PDF
documents, but occasionally the database links the researcher to an
outside website. The collection was gathered over a two year period
ending in October, 2009, and although the collection is updated
regularly, the site makes no guarantee that the laws are current, or
that the materials are exhaustive. Official translations are indicated
as such; all other translations are unofficial. The database is hosted
by the World Bank, and supported by the World Bank’s Gender Action Plan
and the Norwegian Trust Fund. From InSITE, a Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library
[Author: A. Emerson]