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Albania
Flag of Albania
Population (in Mil.)	3.7
Sex Ratio (m/f)	1,04
Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)	1.09
Fertility Rate	1.87
Income Ratio (f/m)	0.54
Literacy Ratio (f/m)	0,99
Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)	1,57
Women in Parliament (in %)	7,1
SIGI Rank	51
More information on variables
Did you know that Albania ranks number 51 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Albania" at genderindex.org:

Social Instutions

The Albanian Constitution states that all individuals are equal before the law and that “no person will be unjustly discriminated against due to his or her sex”. Legislation makes provisions for treaties to supersede national law, and ratifies the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Article 18, 2003 CEDAW). Despite these signs of progress, Albanian society remains essentially patriarchal.

Family Code

The Family Code generally provides a favourable level of protection to Albanian women, and is currently in review. The legal age of marriage is 16 years for women and 18 years for men. Early marriage is not widespread in Albania; in fact, the average age of marriage is close to the global average. According to a 2004 study of the United Nations 8% of women aged 15 to 19 were estimated to be married, widowed or divorced. Despite the legislation in place, forced marriages are frequent. Polygamy, on the other hand, is not a common practice in Albania.

Albanian parents share more or less equal parental authority, as long as both spouses are living. If the father dies, Albanian custom typically awards custody of children to the paternal family, rather than to the mother. In the event of divorce, judges grant custody to men in four out of five cases. In rural areas, male domination is very prominent, both over the household and over women more generally.

The Civil Code gives men and women equal rights to inheritance of property and recognises two types of inheritance. Under legal succession, the first line of succession is granted to the remaining spouse (husband or wife), who inherits at least 50% of the property. Testamentary succession allows individuals to decide who will inherit which assets. In both cases, the surviving spouse will keep 50% of joint property. In most cases, men inherit family-owned land, mainly because women move to the husband’s family home upon marrying. The phenomenon of disinheritance in favour of men is rare, but not because discrimination against women does not exist: rather, it reflects the fact that women have poor access to land and property in the first place.

Physical Integrity

The physical integrity of Albanian women is poorly protected. The Albanian Constitution does not contain any specific provisions regarding domestic violence, spousal rape, sexual harassment or female genital mutilation, although Albanian law does condemn these practices.

Violence against women is very prevalent in Albania. Many men, especially in the northeast, still adhere to a traditional code (known as “Kanun”) that establishes the superiority of men over women. In a survey by the US Department of State, 64% of women questioned said they had been victims of physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The survey also reported that in 2005, 56 women were killed and 74 seriously injured in cases of domestic abuse. Rape is punishable by law and carries a prison sentence of 5 to 15 years, but women seldom press charges. According to ethnic Albanian values, rape is considered a dishonour to the families of the victims, who receive little support.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in Albania, even though it was formally criminalised in 2001. According to UNIFEM, the situation is improving, thanks to government action and to new routes that have opened up the Balkans since the war ended. In recent years, various organisations have established an anti-trafficking centre and a women’s refuge for victims (including temporary social assistance and repatriation), but many problems persist. Women victims are often arrested, treated like criminals, and accused of prostitution and illegal entry into the territory.

The practice of female genital mutilation does not seem common in Albania, and there is no evidence to suggest it is a country of concern in relation to missing women (including infants, young girls and teenagers).

Civil Liberties

Albania falls short of providing women with full civil liberties. Freedom of movement is restricted by tradition that expects women to move to the husband’s family home once married. There is no data to indicate that Albanian women do not have freedom of dress.

Ownership Rights

Women in Albania do not have full rights of ownership. After marriage, it is rare for Albanian women to have access to land. Rural women attest to the fact that men rule the majority of households and are typically the official owners of the household land. Many women have difficulty exercising their right to access to property other than land, even though the right to private property is guaranteed by both the Constitution and the Civil Code – and the Civil Code goes so far as to prohibit all forms of expropriation (except in the interests of public utility), provide a definition of joint property and grant identical rights to all parties in terms of transfer and administration of such property.

Although Albanian women do have access to bank loans, it is rare to see them establish businesses.

Sources

CEDAW (2003), Considerations of reports submitted by states parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; Initial and second periodic report of States Parties – Albania CEDAW/C/ALB/1-2, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
FAO/TAD/ILC (2004), Rural Women’s Access to Land and Property in Selected Countries, CRC/C/15/Add. 150
UNIFEM (2006) Creating Economic Opportunities for Women in Albania: A strategy for the prevention of human trafficking (2006), Gender Alliance for Development Center. UNIFEM
UNIFEM (2006), Violence Against Women – Facts and Figures.
UN (2003), Integration Of The Human Rights Of Women And The Gender Perspective, Violence Against Women.
US DEPARTEMENT OF STATE (2006), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Albania, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

The Women, Business and the Law

Where are laws equal for men and women?

The Women, Business and the Law report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. This report does not seek to judge or rank countries, but to provide information to inform discussions about women’s economic rights. Covering 128 economies, Women, Business and the Law provides data covering 6 areas: accessing institutions,using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.Read more about the methodology.

For detailed information on Albania, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Albania page.