Statizoid

Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa

South Africa: Married women are required by law to obey their husbands was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 188 countries
All-time high
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
in 1970
All-time low
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa, 1970–2023

00.20.40.60.81197019962023

Source: Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in (1=yes; 0=no).

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1 (1=yes; 0=no) for married women are required by law to obey their husbands in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa peaked at 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1 (1=yes; 0=no), in 1970.

That places South Africa 1st out of 188 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa, year by year

Year (1=yes; 0=no) Change
1970 1 (1=yes; 0=no) —
1971 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1972 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1973 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1974 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1975 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1976 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1977 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1978 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1979 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1980 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1981 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1982 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1983 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1984 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1985 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1986 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1987 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1988 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1989 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1990 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1991 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1992 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1993 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1994 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1995 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1996 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1997 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1998 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
1999 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2000 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2001 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2002 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2003 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2004 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2005 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2006 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2007 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2008 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2009 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2010 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2011 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2012 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2013 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2014 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2015 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2016 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2017 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2018 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2019 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2020 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2021 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2022 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%
2023 1 (1=yes; 0=no) +0.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1 (1=yes; 0=no) is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1 (1=yes; 0=no) is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 10
1980s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 10
1990s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 10
2000s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 10
2010s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 10
2020s 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Albania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  2. 1 Algeria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  3. 1 Angola 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  4. 1 Antigua and Barbuda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  5. 1 Argentina 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  6. 1 Armenia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  7. 1 Australia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  8. 1 Austria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  9. 1 Azerbaijan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  10. 1 Bahamas 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  11. 1 Bangladesh 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  12. 1 Barbados 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  13. 1 Belarus 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  14. 1 Belgium 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  15. 1 Belize 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  16. 1 Benin 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  17. 1 Bhutan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  18. 1 Bolivia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  19. 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  20. 1 Botswana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  21. 1 Brazil 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  22. 1 Bulgaria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  23. 1 Burkina Faso 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  24. 1 Burundi 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  25. 1 Cambodia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  26. 1 Cameroon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  27. 1 Canada 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  28. 1 Cape Verde 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  29. 1 Central African Republic 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  30. 1 Chad 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  31. 1 Chile 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  32. 1 China 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  33. 1 Colombia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  34. 1 Comoros 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  35. 1 Congo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  36. 1 Costa Rica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  37. 1 Cote d'Ivoire 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  38. 1 Croatia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  39. 1 Cyprus 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  40. 1 Czechia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  41. 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  42. 1 Denmark 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  43. 1 Dominica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  44. 1 Dominican Republic 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  45. 1 East Timor 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  46. 1 Ecuador 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  47. 1 El Salvador 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  48. 1 Eritrea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  49. 1 Estonia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  50. 1 Eswatini 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  51. 1 Ethiopia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  52. 1 Fiji 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  53. 1 Finland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  54. 1 France 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  55. 1 Gabon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  56. 1 Gambia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  57. 1 Georgia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  58. 1 Germany 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  59. 1 Ghana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  60. 1 Greece 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  61. 1 Grenada 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  62. 1 Guatemala 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  63. 1 Guinea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  64. 1 Guinea-Bissau 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  65. 1 Guyana 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  66. 1 Haiti 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  67. 1 Honduras 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  68. 1 Hong Kong 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  69. 1 Hungary 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  70. 1 Iceland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  71. 1 India 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  72. 1 Indonesia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  73. 1 Ireland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  74. 1 Israel 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  75. 1 Italy 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  76. 1 Jamaica 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  77. 1 Japan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  78. 1 Kazakhstan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  79. 1 Kenya 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  80. 1 Kiribati 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  81. 1 Kyrgyzstan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  82. 1 Laos 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  83. 1 Latvia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  84. 1 Lebanon 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  85. 1 Lesotho 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  86. 1 Liberia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  87. 1 Libya 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  88. 1 Lithuania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  89. 1 Luxembourg 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  90. 1 Madagascar 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  91. 1 Malawi 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  92. 1 Maldives 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  93. 1 Malta 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  94. 1 Marshall Islands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  95. 1 Mauritius 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  96. 1 Mexico 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  97. 1 Micronesia (country) 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  98. 1 Moldova 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  99. 1 Mongolia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  100. 1 Montenegro 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  101. 1 Morocco 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  102. 1 Mozambique 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  103. 1 Myanmar 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  104. 1 Namibia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  105. 1 Nepal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  106. 1 Netherlands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  107. 1 New Zealand 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  108. 1 Nicaragua 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  109. 1 Niger 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  110. 1 Nigeria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  111. 1 North Macedonia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  112. 1 Norway 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  113. 1 Oman 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  114. 1 Pakistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  115. 1 Palau 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  116. 1 Panama 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  117. 1 Papua New Guinea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  118. 1 Paraguay 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  119. 1 Peru 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  120. 1 Philippines 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  121. 1 Poland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  122. 1 Portugal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  123. 1 Puerto Rico 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  124. 1 Romania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  125. 1 Russia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  126. 1 Rwanda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  127. 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  128. 1 Saint Lucia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  129. 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  130. 1 Samoa 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  131. 1 San Marino 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  132. 1 Sao Tome and Principe 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  133. 1 Senegal 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  134. 1 Serbia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  135. 1 Seychelles 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  136. 1 Sierra Leone 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  137. 1 Singapore 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  138. 1 Slovakia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  139. 1 Slovenia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  140. 1 Solomon Islands 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  141. 1 Somalia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  142. 1 South Korea 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  143. 1 South Sudan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  144. 1 Spain 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  145. 1 Sri Lanka 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  146. 1 Suriname 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  147. 1 Sweden 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  148. 1 Switzerland 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  149. 1 Syria 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  150. 1 Tajikistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  151. 1 Tanzania 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  152. 1 Thailand 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  153. 1 Togo 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  154. 1 Tonga 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  155. 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  156. 1 Tunisia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  157. 1 Turkey 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  158. 1 Uganda 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  159. 1 Ukraine 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  160. 1 United Arab Emirates 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  161. 1 United Kingdom 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  162. 1 United States 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  163. 1 Uruguay 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  164. 1 Uzbekistan 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  165. 1 Vanuatu 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  166. 1 Venezuela 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  167. 1 Vietnam 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  168. 1 Zambia 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare
  169. 1 Zimbabwe 1 (1=yes; 0=no) compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More gender data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa?
Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 2023, according to Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest married women are required by law to obey their husbands recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970.
What is the lowest married women are required by law to obey their husbands recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in 1970.
How does South Africa rank for married women are required by law to obey their husbands?
South Africa ranks 1st out of 188 countries with data for 2023.
Is married women are required by law to obey their husbands rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Married women are required by law to obey their husbands. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Married women are required by law to obey their husbands in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 November 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/women-required-to-obey-husband/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Married women are required by law to obey their husbands
Unit
(1=yes; 0=no)
Source
Women, Business and the Law; World Bank – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 10,152 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This indicator captures whether family law includes any provision requiring a married woman to obey her husband or penalizing her for disobedience, such as loss of maintenance rights.