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5 Countries Making Surprising Gains In Women's Rights

Though things aren't looking so rosy in America, these surprising countries are making awesome gains in women's rights.

By Ossiana TepfenhartPublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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America's women's rights groups are not happy right now.

Attacks have been launched to defund Planned Parenthood, abortion restrictions are at an all-time high, and many states are now allowed to fire women based on sexual history. This is not the America that feminists wanted to see, and unfortunately, we are stuck fighting against it until tyrants realize they can't stop progress.

Though many countries in the world have seen attacks on women's rights in recent years, some countries are actually seeing pretty impressive gains in women's rights. You might neve guess it, but these countries are seeing amazing changes in the rights women are being granted.

Saudi Arabia

Perhaps one of the most surprising countries making gains in women's rights is Saudi Arabia, and that's mostly due to the anti-female reputation this country has earned over the years.

The country has long been criticized for their refusal to allow women in public without a guardian, death penalties for victims of rape, as well as laws banning women the right to vote, work, and study abroad.

However, times are definitely changing in this exceptionally anti-feminist country. In 2016, women were granted the right to vote, and vote, they did.

Additionally, King Abdullah also had appointed 30 different women to the nation's highest Shura council — something that would have been unheard of only 10 years ago.

Currently, women are allowed to hold political office, but still cannot drive and often have to be accompanied by a male guardian. That being said, it's undeniable that the country has been making serious gains in women's rights.

Afghanistan

War-torn and anarchic, Afghanistan is currently not a place where people would expect women's rights to be too strong. In fact, the country has been one of the lowest ranked in terms of civil rights, having female lawmakers, and even just having egalitarian laws.

However, UN officials have been noticing that Afghanistan has been seeing huge improvements in women's rights as of late. Lawmakers and officials have made a major push to give women the opportunity to have jobs, educations, and roles in politics.

Since Taliban rule is no longer a thing, women are beginning to find themselves with more rights than they would have imagined they'd have in 2002. Currently, 4 million girls are in school in the country — a record-breaking amount for the beleaguered region.

In addition to being allowed to have jobs, Afghani women are also now allowed to walk around in public without a niqab. Overall, those are serious gains in women's rights, especially when you consider the regimes the country has dealt with over the years.

Nicaragua

South America isn't really a continent most people discuss when talking about women's rights, but it should be. The continent has been home to horrifyingly inhumane anti-abortion laws as well as communities that turn a blind eye to domestic violence.

That being said, not all is doom and gloom in South America — and Nicaragua is proof of that. The country was recently recognized for helping politically empower women within its borders and actually ranked fifth in the world for its strong encouragement for egalitarian political involvement.

The increase in female leaders has also been shown to improve health programs, housing programs, and overall quality of life for both men and women. Nicaragua's booming economy as a result of the changes made it one of the best-performing countries in Latin America in 2017.

Experts say that the many women's health programs and political empowerment programs launched by the government have made this country one that has made spectacular gains in women's rights over the years.

That being said, Nicaragua still ranks 55th when it comes to improving on women's health gap issues. So, there's still a lot of improvement that can be done.

Gambia

Africa has struggled with giving women equal rights in society, especially when it comes to the right to be free from FGM. Female Genital Mutilation, aside from being exceptionally painful, has long been shown to cause maternal deaths, sexual complications, and in certain cases, incontinence.

Currently, one small country in Africa has been making huge gains in women's rights when it comes to ending FGM — Gambia.

According to women's rights experts, the relatively new country has been leading all English-speaking countries in Africa when it comes to banning the practice. Unlike other regions, the FGM ban in Gambia was a national one, advocated by lawmakers, and is regularly enforced.

Though this may seem like a small victory to some, millions of girls and women in Africa who now can remain intact would beg to differ. Additionally, the new laws have helped prevent hundreds of maternal deaths due to tissue scarring and potential hemorrhaging due to re-opened wounds.

Tunisia

Another small country that has made huge gains in women's rights is Tunisia — perhaps one of the more likely candidates on this list. Very recently, lawmakers in the country have announced that they have signed a law into place that is meant "to end all violence against women."

The sweeping human rights law bans all forms of discrimination against women, including "physical, moral, sexual or economic aggression" against them. For women, this means equal pay, punishments for rapists, and a government guarantee against domestic violence.

Currently, human rights groups have noted that Tunisia is one of the most female-friendly countries in Africa. We're inclined to agree.

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About the Creator

Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of New Jersey. This is her work account. She loves gifts and tips, so if you like something, tip her!

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