Gender equality in Muslim-majority countries

•We empirically examine gender equality in Muslim-majority countries.•We account for the role of Islam in the constitutions of the sampled countries.•Discrimination against women is evident when Islam is the source of legislation.

Discrimination against women has been documented in Muslim-majority countries. However, constitutions among Muslim-majority countries differ. By using women's rights indicators and exploiting cross-country variation, we find that discrimination against women is more pronounced in countries where Islam is the source of legislation. Constitutions have changed in only four Muslim-majority countries since 1980. We discuss anecdotal evidence concerning the extent to which women's rights changed as a consequence of new constitutions. Empirical studies should therefore distinguish between types of Muslim-majority countries.