22 countries do not allow mothers to pass their citizenship on to their children

17.07.16

The right of mothers to pass their citizenship on to their children has dramatic consequences on the civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights of their children - beginning with their right to a nationality. And this only one among the many discriminations against women in the Law that still exists in countries around the world.

According to the Worldbank’s report Women, Business and the Law 2016, the following countries do not allow married mothers to pass citizenship on to their children as fathers can:

Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza.

In addition to being discriminatory, the unequal treatment of women in Nationality laws is an obstacle to the realization of other rights for them and their children, including:

  • the right to a citizenship, freedom from statelessness, freedom of movement
  • the right to equality in the family
  • the ability to participate equally in public and political life
  • access to public services, access to the labour market
  • the rights to housing, health, education, among other economic, social and cultural rights.

In 2015, MMM, in cooperation with MMM Liban, has participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council where the human rights situation of each member State is periodically assessed by other member States. MMM has called for a change in the Lebanese Nationality Law.

 

Most read articles

Envisioning care as a common thread to global crises

29.07.24

UN New York - Our virtual HLPF side-event brought together experts to shed light on how the various global crises we face (in particular climate change and other environmental crises,

Lire plus

We call for multi-stakeholder approach to recognise and support unpaid care work

21.07.24

UN New York - Participating in the meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on care and support systems, MMM reaffirmed the principle of co-responsibility, which should underpin

Lire plus

The New EU Gender Equality Roadmap : A Call for Inclusion of Mothers

04.03.25

The European Commission’s initiative on a new Gender Equality Roadmap post-2025, marks a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities across the European Union. Make Mothers Matter (MMM

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Joint Letter to EU Leaders: MMM and Partners Advocate for Strategic Investment in Children and Families

09.07.25

Make Mothers Matter, along with 24 member organisations of the Alliance for Investing in Children, has sent a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Roberta Metsola (Presid

Read more

Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs

06.07.25

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online for our High Level Political Forum side-event.

Read more

Placing Target 5.4 at the Core: A Key to Accelerating SDG Synergies

06.07.25

UN New York – Ahead of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) MMM's written statement focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender equality, which is under review this year. More specifically

Read more

Financing for development: time to invest in Care and Wellbeing

06.07.25

From 30 June to 3 July, Make Mothers Matter was in Sevilla, Spain, for the 4th UN International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Here’s a look back at this major UN event and the key takeaways

Read more

Financing for development matters for mothers

05.07.25

Following the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla, Spain, we explore why Financing for Development is critical for mothers around the world.

Read more

Belgian Mothers Face Alarming Rates of Burnout and Perinatal Depression, New EU Survey Finds

03.07.25

Belgian mothers are facing a mental health crisis. According to the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 survey by Make Mothers Matter (MMM) and Kantar, Belgium reports the highest rates of both maternal burnout

Read more