3 Introduction In 2022, Equality Now launched The State We’re In: Ending Sexism in Nationality Laws 2022 Edition - Updated for a Disrupted World. The report and accompanying Annex highlight the close to 50 countries around the world that still have gender-discriminatory nationality laws, almost always discriminating against women in how they acquire, change, retain, or confer their nationality1 to their children and/or spouses. International human rights law, as noted in The State We’re In, requires governments to protect and promote equality on the basis of sex, and whether they adhere to a jus soli (nationality by birth in a State) and/or a jus sanguinis (nationality by descent) system, they must revise any gender discriminatory nationality provisions so that: ◆ any citizen can confer nationality, on an equal basis without gender discrimination, on their child wherever born, whether born in or out of marriage, and whether the child is biological, adopted or in instances of naturalisation; ◆ any person can equally confer citizenship on their spouses without discrimination on the basis of sex, whether married at home or abroad; ◆ no one automatically loses their new nationality on termination of their marriage; ◆ women do not automatically lose or acquire nationality upon marriage to a foreign spouse without their active consent; ◆ a change in a parent’s or spouse’s nationality does not mean loss of nationality of their children or spouse; and ◆ all related laws and regulations are consistent, ensuring that all men and women are treated equally and that these provisions are clear to both those seeking to benefit from them and those responsible for implementing them. 1 In international law, “nationality” and “citizenship” are synonymous and are used interchangeably. This toolkit will primarily use “nationality”.