About the Database

What is the Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database?

The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions extracted from 194 constitutions from around the world. The countries are organized according to five geographical regions (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) and are reflective of the Member States and Non-Member Observer States of the United Nations. Although a number of constitutional websites and resources that contain constitutions on a global scale are available, this Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is the first searchable database that specifically presents constitutional provisions through a gender lens. UN Women commits to regularly updating based on constitutional amendments and revisions taking place all over the world to ensure continued relevance and utilization.

What are the benefits of the database and who are its potential users?

The gender equality constitutional database is a one-stop resource for a variety of technical and non-technical users. Potential users and uses include:

• Gender advocates, who will have access to the fundamental underpinnings of State law and policy, including the basis for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at local level
• Constitutional Review Commissions, Committees, Assemblies and other similar bodies (for south-south and north-south learning of comparative experiences in gender responsive constitution making)
• Constitutional Courts and other judicial bodies (for effective identification and citation of gender equality provisions and advancing gender equality constitutional jurisprudence)
• National Independent Human Rights Bodies (for monitoring compliance with national and international human rights standards within a State)
• Ministries of Justice and Law Reform Commissions (for identifying potential interpretative conflicts and areas of law reform as mandated by constitutions)
• Global and Regional Human Rights Treaty Bodies (to monitor national constitutional compliance with international treaties)
• Public Interest Litigators (for preparing legal arguments and amicus briefs)
• Civic Educators (for educating the public on the gender dimensions of their respective country constitutions)
• Academic Institutions (for teaching (including moot courts), research and learning)
• United Nations Agencies, Funds, Programmes and Advisory Bodies (for delivery of technical assistance, design and in the implementation of United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks).

Why put a gender lens on constitutions?

State Parties commit “to embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions”^[1] as part of their domestic legal obligations upon ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Constitutions are the underlying basis of State accountability. As the highest law (“grundnorm”) of the land of any country, constitutions spell out the principles behind executive, legislative and judicial power, and the exercise of rights and obligations of public and private persons and entities. Gender responsive constitutions are those that meet internationally agreed upon standards of gender equality. Having women’s rights constitutionally entrenched in a national constitution is an important step towards eliminating gender-based discrimination and advancing women’s rights.

What is the scope of the database?

The constitutional provisions contained in the database are grouped under 24 categories and 19 sub-categories. The extracts are available in the original languages of the constitutional text and their respective English translations. The database can be searched by keyword, category, sub-category, country, region or globally. A dashboard is also provided to users to promote quantitative research and analysis of the categories and sub-categories.

While it consolidates all existing provisions related to gender equality in constitutions worldwide, this database does not seek to endorse or evaluate them. In order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the provisions in the mapping provided by the database, UN Women recommends that users refer to the entire text of the constitution(s), as well as related resolutions, laws, amendments, constitutional decisions and other judicial mechanisms. Users may also wish to look into how these provisions have been considered, where relevant, by international and regional human rights mechanisms, such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

What methodology was used to design the database?

The database serves as an avenue for determining the degree to which constitutions reflect the provisions of CEDAW and other international human rights instruments. Therefore, the nexus to the provisions of CEDAW and the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women were the basic premise for the selection of the 24 categories and 19 sub-categories used in the mapping of constitutional provisions. Specific criteria are attached to every category to guarantee consistent extractions from constitutional texts. A detailed description of the methodology, categories and criteria used can be found in the Database Codebook.

Given that every single provision in a constitution impacts gender relations, the criteria, sub-criteria and related provisions include those that have a direct gender equality nexus (i.e. those that make explicit reference to women, gender, sex or he/she pronouns) and those that contribute to the realization of women’s rights, e.g. Constitutional Review Bodies and National Human Rights Bodies.

How were the constitutional provisions selected and what sources were used?

Extractions were undertaken manually using a meticulous, extensive and thorough quality assurance process, including key word searches and an analysis of constitutional provisions. Constitutional sources include websites of governments, constitutional courts and institutions, inter-governmental organizations (e.g. the World Intellectual Property Organization), media, and legal research databases (e.g. HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated and Constitute Project). Individual Permanent Missions to the United Nations and UN Women Country and Regional Offices provided resources in some instances. Where web-based and external resources were not forthcoming, UN Women undertook in-house translations of texts.

How to contact us? 

Help us keep the constitutional database updated. We warmly welcome your comments, suggestions and questions at constitutional.database@unwomen.org.

Which languages feature in the database?

To date, the database reflects the following 79 languages: