Constitutional and legal framework for gender equality in Ukraine and world countries

Valentyna Lukianets-Shakhova,Svitlana Rostetska,Maksym Mishchenko,Svitlana Shvets

doi:10.34069/ai/2022.49.01.18

Abstract

This research aims at a comparative analysis of the constitutional and legal foundations of gender equality in Ukraine and other countries, as well as the study of the constitutional and legal provision influence on the indicator of Global Gender Gap Index. The research uses the method of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, systematization, cluster analysis. Research results on the influence of constitutional and legal provision on the Global Gender Gap Index, there are three groups among the EU countries: countries with a higher level of gender equality (Global Gender Gap Index between 0.784-0.861: Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden); countries with a more or less high level of gender equality (Global Gender Gap Index between 0.762-0.778: Latvia, Netherlands, and Portugal), and countries with an average level of gender equality (Global Gender Gap Index between 0.688 and 0.726: Greece, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic). The first group of countries has a more advanced constitutional and legal provision for gender equality. In the second group – the principles of constitutional and legal provision for gender equality are not fully implemented. In the third group – the constitutional and legal provision needs reviewing and improvement. Ukraine characterized by gender inequality, violence against women, low level of the legal protection of women, limitation of their access to participation in public, political and economic life.

Highlights

Ensuring equal rights of men and women under the increasing globalization, internationalization, and mega-regionalization processes is one of the important aspects of law-making activities of the state, as well as an indicator of the effective functioning of society
International organizations, together with regional institutions, annually calculate the Global Gender Gap Index, which tracks the achievement of gender equality according to such indicators as (1) economic participation and opportunity; (2) educational attainment; (3) access to health care; and (4) political empowerment
There were no stable trends during the analyzed period, and fluctuations of the indicator indicate the presence of gender inequality in the country

Summary

Introduction

Ensuring equal rights of men and women under the increasing globalization, internationalization, and mega-regionalization processes is one of the important aspects of law-making activities of the state, as well as an indicator of the effective functioning of society. Even though the Constitution of Ukraine (1996) regulates the democratic principles of state development, guarantees the freedom of personality, general political and legal principles of gender equality, the life realities prove the presence of the gender inequality problem and its special acuteness both in society and in different institutions. The problem of researching the constitutional and legal foundations and state mechanisms to ensure gender equality in Ukraine and foreign countries, is extremely relevant. This research aims the comparative analysis of the constitutional and legal framework of gender equality in Ukraine and other countries, as well as the study of the constitutional and legal provisions' impact on the Global Gender Gap Index

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion