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| Moldova | |
 Flag of Moldova | |
| Population (in Mil.) | 4.3 |
 Sex Ratio (m/f)
| 0,91 |
 Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)
| 1.12 |
 Fertility Rate
| 1.5 |
 Income Ratio (f/m)
| 0.73 |
 Literacy Ratio (f/m)
| 0,99 |
 Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)
| 1,36 |
 Women in Parliament (in %)
| 21,8 |
| SIGI Rank | 12 |
| More information on variables | |
| Did you know that Moldova ranks number 12 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 Moldova" at genderindex.org: | |
Contents |
Social Institutions
Moldova has been marked by a violent history and currently suffers from a very high level of poverty. The country regained its independence in 1989, but is enmeshed in a serious, ongoing economic crisis. Women are the main victims of this situation; almost two-thirds of them are unemployed. A significant proportion of Moldovan women work abroad.
Family Code
The Moldovan Family Code provides a relatively high level of protections for women within the family context. The free consent of both spouses is required for marriage, and the legal minimum age of marriage is 16 years for women and 18 years for men. Early marriage is authorised in exceptional circumstances: from 14 years of age for women and 16 years of age for men. As a result, early marriage is quite common. A 2004 United Nations survey estimated that 12% of women aged between 15 and 19 were married, divorced or widowed.
Polygamy is illegal in Moldova and there are no indications that it is practised.
The Family Code states that parental authority and the care and education of children are to be shared by the mother and father, who have the same rights and responsibilities. In the event of divorce, mothers are typically awarded custody of the children. Divorced mothers receive very little financial help from the state, however, and often encounter problems of unpaid child support.
The law treats men and women equally with regard to inheritance.
Physical Integrity
The physical integrity of Moldovan women is poorly protected. Violence against women, including domestic violence, is widespread. In most cases, the perpetrator is the husband or partner, but fathers and fathers-in-law are also known to be abusive. An estimated one-third of murders in Moldova are committed by the victim’s husband.
Domestic violence is linked to the country’s dire economic situation and to low levels of education for men. Women in the poorest sector of the population are almost twice as likely be abused as their more advantaged counterparts.
Women have the right to file complaints against their abusers, but must provide a medical certificate. This is problematic in that such certificates can be issued only by doctors who are expert court witnesses and corruption in the public sector often allows offenders to buy their way out of being punished.
The authorities have made no serious attempts to combat domestic violence, which they perceive as a problem to be handled within the family. In divorce cases, judges often insist on a temporary period of reconciliation before separation, which can have catastrophic consequences for battered women. Government services to assist victims of abuse are seriously lacking. To fill the gap, various voluntary associations have established shelters and help lines, and conduct awareness-raising campaigns.
Rape is a crime, punishable by a prison sentence of between three and seven years, but there is no specific reference to spousal rape. There are thought to be many more rapes than those actually reported. At present, the law does not prohibit sexual harassment.
Trafficking of women is a serious problem in Moldova; it is estimated that Moldovan women account for more than half of the Eastern European women working as prostitutes in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. These women are often beaten and reduced to a form of slavery.
There is nothing to indicate that female genital mutilation is practised in Moldova, and it does not appear to be a country of concern in relation to missing women.
Civil Liberties
In theory, Moldovan women have a high degree of civil liberty; there are no legal restrictions to their freedom of movement or freedom of dress. However, it has been reported that some husbands execute a subtle form of domestic abuse by restricting their wives as punishment for behaving in certain ways.
Ownership Rights
Moldovan law guarantees women’s financial independence, but there are often inequalities in practice. Women and men have the same rights of access to land and access to property other than land. Each spouse retains ownership of property acquired before marriage or inherited during the marriage. In the event of divorce, each spouse has the right to half the property acquired by the couple, but courts can rule otherwise according to the interests of children who are minors, or in other special circumstances.
There are no legal restrictions on women’s access to bank loans, but most women live in poverty and are unable to borrow because they cannot provide any collateral.
Sources
- CEDAW (2004). Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. Moldova. Cedaw/c/mda/2-3.
- Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. ( 2000). Domestic violence in Moldova. Minneapolis;US.
- Republic of Moldova Demographic and Health Survey 2005 ( 2006). Calverton, Maryland, US.
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 Moldova, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Moldova page.
