Methodology

Understand the methodology behind Women, Business and the Law, from pillars and topics to parameters, with access to key methodology documents, FAQs, and workshops.

Legal Frameworks

Assesses binding domestic laws and regulations in an economy, whether codified or case law, based on the economy’s legal system

Supportive Frameworks

Examines policy and institutional frameworks supporting the implementation of laws

Enforcement Perceptions

Captures expert assessments on the extent to which public authorities enforce, in practice, each of the laws and rights assessed under the WBL legal frameworks

Topic-Specific Methodology

Women, Business and the Law topics examine laws, policies, and enforcement across 10 key areas shaping women’s economic opportunities throughout their lives.

Select a topic below to explore the methodology in detail.

Safety Topic

The Safety topic measures protection from violence against women, including child marriage, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and femicide. It assesses whether an economy’s laws criminalize these forms of violence; whether policies and services exist to support survivors, such as national action plans, access to justice mechanisms, services for survivors, and monitoring agencies; and to what extent the economy’s laws in this area are effectively enforced in practice.

Parameters

For Safety Topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise indicated, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is able to make independent decisions as an adult. These assumptions provide a consistent basis for assessing laws, policies, and enforcement related to violence against women across economies.

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Mobility Topic

The Mobility topic examines aspects of women’s agency and freedom of movement within an economy. It assesses whether laws restrict women’s ability to choose where to live, travel domestically or internationally, or confer citizenship on spouses and children. The topic also evaluates whether processes for obtaining official identity documents and passports create gender-based barriers, as well as the presence of policies that support safe and gender-sensitive public transportation. The Mobility topic captures expert assessments of how laws affecting women’s freedom of movement are enforced in practice. Together, it measures the legal framework, supporting policies, and enforcement shaping women’s ability to move freely and participate fully in economic and public life.

Parameters

For the Mobility topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

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Work Topic

The Work topic examines laws and policies that affect women’s decision to enter and remain in the labor force. It assesses the legal foundations of women’s right to work, including protections from discrimination in recruitment and employment, as well as the availability of flexible work arrangements. The topic also reviews policies and institutions that promote workplace equality, such as mechanisms for addressing employment discrimination, public guidance on nondiscrimination and flexible work, and national plans supporting women’s participation in the labor market. The Work topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws related to women’s participation in the workforce are enforced in practice. Together, it measures legal protections, supporting policies, and enforcement shaping women’s access to work and economic opportunity.

Parameters:

For the Work topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

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Pay Topic

The Pay topic examines laws and policies affecting occupational segregation and the gender wage gap. It assesses whether laws provide for equal remuneration for work of equal value and whether restrictions on women’s employment—such as limits on night work, certain economic sectors, or jobs deemed dangerous—remain in place.

The topic also reviews policies that support the implementation of equal pay laws, including measures promoting pay transparency, occupational health and safety, support for women’s participation in male-dominated sectors, and the publication of sex-disaggregated employment and wage data. The Pay topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws addressing occupational segregation and the gender wage gap are enforced in practice, measuring legal protections, supporting policies, and enforcement shaping pay equality.

Parameters:

For the Pay topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

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Marriage Topic

The Marriage topic examines legal constraints related to marriage and divorce within an economy. It assesses whether family laws guarantee equal legal status for spouses, including the absence of obedience clauses and other provisions that limit equality within marriage. The topic also evaluates whether institutional measures support the enforcement of equality in marriage and divorce, such as the availability of specialized family courts, access to legal aid, and procedures that facilitate the resolution of family law disputes. The Marriage topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws governing marriage and divorce are enforced in practice, measuring legal frameworks, supporting institutions, and enforcement shaping equality within family relationships.

Parameters:

For the Marriage topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

The woman is also assumed to be in a monogamous first marriage with a man, formally registered with the appropriate authorities. De facto marriages and customary unions are not measured. The woman and her husband are assumed to share the same religion.

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Parenthood Topic

The Parenthood topic examines laws and policies affecting women’s work during and after pregnancy and following the birth of a child. It assesses legal provisions governing paid leave for parents, the allocation of responsibility between governments and employers for financing maternity benefits, and protections against dismissal based on pregnancy. The topic also reviews policies that support the use of paid leave and promote a more equal distribution of care responsibilities, including the ease of applying for maternity benefits, incentives for fathers to take leave, and the availability of sex-disaggregated data on unpaid care and domestic work. The Parenthood topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws supporting women’s work during and after pregnancy are enforced in practice.

Parameters:

For the Parenthood topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult. Both parents are assumed to work full-time. The parents are married, have no other children, and this is their first pregnancy. The woman is assumed to be pregnant with one child, with no complications during pregnancy or birth. If cash benefits during leave are not calculated as a percentage of earnings, the employee is assumed to earn the minimum wage in the food retail sector.

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Childcare Topic

The Childcare topic examines the availability, public financing, and quality of center-based childcare services for children under the age of three. It assesses laws governing public funding for childcare and standards for the quality of childcare services. The topic also reviews policies that support access to childcare, such as registries of accredited providers, clear application procedures for financial support for families and nonstate providers, and systems for monitoring service quality. The Childcare topic captures expert assessments of how effectively childcare regulations are enforced in practice, measuring legal frameworks, supporting policies, and enforcement shaping access to quality childcare services.

Parameters:

For the Childcare topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

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Entrepreneurship Topic

The Entrepreneurship topic examines women’s ability to start and operate businesses on an equal footing with men. It assesses whether laws prohibit discrimination in access to credit, support gender-responsive public procurement, and require women’s representation on public corporate boards. The topic also reviews policies that promote women’s entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, including government-led programs or national strategies supporting women entrepreneurs, initiatives to expand women’s access to financial services, and the availability of regularly published sex-disaggregated data on women’s business activities. The Entrepreneurship topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws affecting women’s ability to establish and run a business are enforced in practice.

Parameters:

For the Entrepreneurship topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult.

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Assets Topic

The Assets topic examines equality in women’s property and inheritance rights within an economy. It assesses whether laws—including statutory, customary, and personal laws—govern women’s ability to own, manage, and inherit immovable property on equal terms with men. The topic also reviews policies that support women’s property ownership and registration, such as joint titling provisions, awareness campaigns, and the availability of sex-disaggregated data on property ownership. The Assets topic captures expert assessments of how effectively property and inheritance laws are enforced in practice, measuring legal frameworks, supporting policies, and enforcement shaping women’s access to and control over assets.

Parameters:

For the Assets topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult. The woman is assumed to be married under the default marital property regime, or the most common marital property regime in the jurisdiction, which does not change during the course of the marriage. Where customary law is prevalent and statutory law does not recognize women’s property rights or administrative authority, these arrangements are considered as part of the assessment.

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Pension Topic

The Pension topic examines legal and policy frameworks affecting the size of women’s pension benefits within an economy. It assesses whether laws address gender differences in retirement ages and account for career interruptions—such as time spent on caregiving—in the calculation of pension benefits. The topic also reviews policies that support women’s old-age security, including efforts to promote pension literacy, procedures for challenging benefit decisions, incentives for employers to increase pension coverage or benefits, and the availability of sex-disaggregated data on retirement ages and pension amounts. The Pensions topic captures expert assessments of how effectively laws affecting the size of women’s pensions are enforced in practice.

Parameters:

For the Pensions topic, the Women, Business and the Law methodology assumes a woman residing in the economy’s main business city. Unless otherwise specified, the woman is assumed to be a lawful citizen who has reached the legal age of majority, is in good health, has no criminal record, and is capable of making independent decisions as an adult. The woman is assumed to have given birth without complications to two healthy children. Where transitional provisions gradually increase, decrease, or equalize the retirement age, retirement ages are assessed as of the time of data collection, even if the law provides for future changes.

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Resources

Methodology Handbook

Explore Methodology Handbook detailing data sources, scoring rules, and research methods used to produce WBL data.

Manual and Guide

Access detailed coding and scoring rules, definitions, and guidance used to produce the Women, Business and the Law data and indicators.

Our Data

Download data, explore legal reforms and access regional and economy profiles. 

FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions about Women, Business and the Law data and engagement.