The Rights of Women in Comparative Constitutional Law

Through a comparative analysis involving 13 countries from Africa, America, Asia and Europe, this book provides an invaluable assessment of women’s equality at the global level.

The work focuses on formal constitutional provisions as well as the substantial level of protection women’s equality has achieved in the systems analysed. The investigations look at the relevant gender-related legislation, the participation of women in the institutional arena and the constitutional interpretation made by constitutional justice on gender issues. Furthermore, the book highlights women’s contributions in their roles as judges, parliamentarians, activists and academics, thus increasing the visibility of their participation in the public sphere.

The work will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Constitutional Law, Comparative Law, Human Rights Law and Women’s and Gender Studies.

Irene Spigno is General Director of the Inter-American Academy of Human Rights of the Autonomous University of Coahuila (Mexico) and Director of its Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Constitutional Law from the University of Siena in Italy and is Full Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of Coahuila (Mexico). Among her research interests are freedom of expression and hate speech, constitutional justice andmulticulturalism in comparative perspective. She co-chairs the research group on ‘Gender and Constitution’ of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL).

Valentina Rita Scotti is Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law at the European Law and Governance School of the European Public Law Organization in Athens. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Public Law from the University of Siena in Italy. Among her research interests are constitutionalism and human rights (including gender and constitutionalism), constitutional cross-fertilization and parliamentary cooperation. She co-chairs the research group on ‘Gender and Constitution’ of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL).

Janaína Lima Penalva da Silva is Associate Professor at the Law School of the University of Brasília and Coordinator of its Center of Studies of Inequality and Discrimination. She has aM.Sc. in Bioethics and Law from the University of Barcelona. She lectures in Constitutional Law and Feminist Theory. She is a Scientific Researcher of the Law School of the University of Torino and the Scientific Supervisor of Bloco A (a sexual and reproductive rights NGO). She also co-chairs the research group on ‘Gender and Constitution’ of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL).