On 30 October 2022, the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China adopted the revised Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests.
Initially passed in 1992, the updated legislation came into force on 1 January 2023.
On 13 January 2023, Beijing Human Resources and Social Security Administration implemented the revised Law regulating the administrative punishments from human resources and social security departments in the new "Punishment Benchmark Table."
It has significantly increased the punishment for employers' gender discrimination compared to 2022.
On 30 March 2023, the European Union Parliament adopted the Pay Transparency Directive, approving the legislative proposal of the European Commission based on equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women.
The Council will have to formally approve the agreement before the text is signed into law and published in the EU Official Journal, and the new provisions will come into force twenty days after their publication.
ILO recently launched two new instruments to support member states and social partners in developing, formulating, implementing, financing, and reviewing employment policies in line with current and future challenges at both global and national levels.
On 23 February 2023, the Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency reported that the national gender pay gap has dropped to 13.3% and, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), women earn, on average, 87 cents for every $1 made by a man.
On 11 January 2023, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria ("NICN") repealed a discriminatory law, thus demonstrating the attention and commitment to achieving gender equity.
In the case Omolola Olajide v. The Nigerian Police Force & 2 others (unreported Suit No: NICN/AK/14/2021), the Court stated the unlawfulness of a dismissal of an unmarried pregnant woman because it was based on a law that the Court annulled as discriminatory.
On 20 February 2023, the Spanish Parliament approved modifications to the law on sexual and reproductive health and abortion. The new law - passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against - includes a new regulation on sick leave due to 'secondary incapacitating menstruation, becoming the first country in Europe to advance such legislation.
On 13 February 2023, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a new report that measures the effects of teleworking on work-life balance, pay, and career advancement from a gender perspective, showing mixed results.
It reveals that prevailing gender norms are likely to mediate the effect of teleworking on all three outcomes and should be a focus of future research.