[JURIST] The High Court of Delhi [official website] ruled Monday that women may legally serve as the head of a family, a role traditionally held by the eldest man. In traditional Hindu culture the eldest man serves as the “Karta,” or manager of the family. Legally, the Karta is responsible for a family’s rituals, real property and assets. The decision [Times of India report] came as a result of a lawsuit brought by woman whose family business was turned over to a younger male family member after her father and uncles died. In deciding the case, Justice Najmi Waziri foundt the Karta may be the eldest female in a family and determined the family business should be turned over to the eldest daughter.

Last month UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] announced that he is creating the first high-level panel to address women’s economic empowerment initiatives [JURIST report]. The panel’s goal is to create a plan of action for nations and private sector businesses to implement in order to improve women’s rights by achieving economic agency for women all over the globe in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [text, PDF]. In September the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] said that no country has achieved full equality between men and women and urged [JURIST report] the 47 members of the Human Rights Council to make efforts to achieve such equality.