Government Financial Support for Childcare Services : A Study of Regulations in 95 Economies
This brief presents new data collected by the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project on childcare legislation in 95 economies around the world. It focuses on government measures aimed at making childcare more affordable. The data used in this brief are based on a conceptual framework that considers both demand and supply-side constraints of the childcare market that limit the uptake and provision of childcare services. The data, current as of October 1, 2021, indicate that only 41 of these economies have policies to encourage the use of childcare by reducing its costs for parents, either through direct financial support to parents, support for private providers, or both. This brief offers a comprehensive overview of government support strategies to reduce costs and increase the affordability of childcare services; such an overview can guide further empirical analysis to assess the impact of these provisions.
How Did India Successfully Reform Women’s Rights? Part II : Answers from the Movement on Protection from Violence
This two-part policy brief series traces the development and reform of law in India related to three critical areas that affect women’s rights and economic opportunities: women’s property rights, domestic violence, and sexual harassment in the workplace. It explores the underlying factors and driving forces that led to reforms as well as the broad processes and extensive timelines required for change. It also highlights remaining gaps, including the absence of robust implementation as well as how inadequate administrative and infrastructural support for reform hinder true gender equality in a deeply patriarchal society. The achievements in India, which are the result of years of concerted eff-orts and thought leadership by multiple governmental and nongovernmental players, private actors, and women’s rights activists, could function as a how to guide for other countries that may want to carry out similar reforms in the future. This second Brief in the series explores the decades-long journey that led to the adoption of the 2005 Domestic Violence Act and the 2013 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, and highlights remaining legal and implementation gaps in the effective elimination of violence against women.
How Did India Successfully Reform Women’s Rights? Part I: Answers from the Movement on Equal Inheritance Rights
This two-part policy brief series traces the development and reform of law in India related to three critical areas that affect women’s rights and economic opportunities: women’s property rights, domestic violence, and sexual harassment in the workplace. It explores the underlying factors and driving forces that led to reforms as well as the broad processes and extensive timelines required for change. It also highlights the remaining gaps in the rights for Indian women, including how the absence of robust implementation as well as inadequate administrative and infrastructural support for reform—coupled with deeply entrenched patriarchal mindsets—often makes real gender equality elusive for many. The achievements in India, which are the result of years of concerted efforts and thought leadership by multiple governmental and nongovernmental players, private actors, and women’s rights activists, could function as a “how to” guide for other countries that may want to carry out similar reforms in the future. This first brief in the series explores the reform of (Hindu) women’s inheritance rights. Starting in 1975, several states reformed the (federal) Hindu Succession Act of 1956, improving women’s rights to inheritance, until a federal reform occurred in 2005. However, additional reforms are needed in order to overcome gender discriminatory legal provisions.
Protecting Women and Girls from Cyber Harassment : A Global Assessment of Existing Laws
Cyber violence against women has been rising at alarming rates in recent decades. Such acts not only harm women as individuals but have severe detrimental effects on society and the economy at large. This Brief analyzes laws from 190 economies to assess the extent and coverage of current legislative safeguards women from cyber harassment, one of the many forms of cyber violence. Data collected by the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law project reveals that laws that protect women against cyber harassment exist in only about one-third of economies, covering less than half of the population of children, adolescent girls, and women. Enhancing legal protections is crucial to effectively tackle cyber violence against women.
The Road to Reforming Ethiopia’s Policies on Maternity and Paternity Leave
This brief provides insight into how Ethiopia increased the duration of paid maternity leave from 90 to 120 days and introduced three days of paid paternity leave in 2019. While ensuring job-protected leave of adequate length and pay for both parents is critical for a variety of health, economic, and social development outcomes, just slightly more than half of economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa region provide paid maternity and paternity leave. The brief highlights specific characteristics of Ethiopia’s socioeconomic environment that incentivized the reform. It explores the critical role of political momentum and tripartite negotiations among the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, Ethiopian Employers’ Federation, and the government, coupled with persistence by the country’s trade unions, that led to the adoption of the reform. It outlines key lessons learned that could be useful to other countries seeking to enhance their own leave policies for parents. It also describes remaining challenges to the implementation and presents recommendations on how to address these challenges to improve gender equality in Ethiopia.
Emerging Trends in National Financial Inclusion Strategies that Support Women’s Entrepreneurship
This brief presents data collected by the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law (WBL) project on selected contours of National Financial Inclusion Strategies that can support women’s entrepreneurship. In all, fifty-two economies worldwide had valid financial inclusion strategies in force as of June 30, 2022. An increasing number are now highlighting the need to promote women’s financial inclusion. However, as this initial foray shows, more could be done in National Financial Inclusion Strategies to promote credit to women entrepreneurs and enhance the national-level collection and reporting of financial data disaggregated by sex. The analysis also shows that the field for developing indicators at both the policy and regulatory level remains ripe for exploration by the WBL project and others.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in South Asia
Recognizing that childcare services can have a positive impact on women’s economic inclusion, Women, Business and the Law presents a novel and comprehensive pilot dataset on regulatory frameworks around the availability, affordability, and quality of childcare services in 95 economies around the world. In South Asia, data was collected in six economies: Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Nepal; Pakistan; and Sri Lanka (Table 1). The new data is a stepping stone toward facilitating and informing policy dialogue around key demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate the formal provision of childcare services, their affordability, quality, and uptake by parents. The pilot data presents a framework showing a range of options that governments may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families, although international best practice frameworks have yet to be established.
Safeguarding the Rights of Women with Disabilities to Family Life, Work, and Protection from Gender-based Violence
Women with disabilities face additional barriers to their socioeconomic participation compared to men, with and without disabilities as well as to women without disabilities, resulting in significant employment gaps and high exposure to gender-based violence. Laws around the world largely fail to protect the rights of women with disabilities to nondiscrimination, respect for family life, labor market inclusion, and a life free from violence. This brief analyzes legal and policy data from 190 economies on the rights of women with disabilities and highlights promising practices where laws directly recognize and protect these needs, with the goal of informing policy reforms across the globe.
Reforming Discriminatory Laws to Empower Women in Togo
This brief examines two reforms, enacted between 2012 and 2014, that lifted previous restrictions to women’s rights in Togo. Specifically, these limitations prevented women from choosing where to live, from getting a job without their husband’s permission, and from being named head of household in the same manner as men. The reforms to the persons and family code were driven by women’s civil society organizations engaging a wide variety of stakeholders, including the government and the international community. Together, these actors identified strategic agencies and stakeholders sympathetic to the overarching goal of gender equality in order to make greater gender equality a reality. This brief explores this process, while also indicating the remaining barriers to women’s full equality in Togo.
Legal Reforms to Protect Women at Home and at Work in São Tomé and Príncipe
This brief examines the introduction of landmark reforms in São Tomé and Príncipe to counter domestic and family violence and to protect women, both at home and at work. The enactment of laws on domestic and family violence, and the subsequent introduction of the country’s new Penal Code and, more recently, the Labor Code, were each made possible due to a combination of factors. Women’s active participation in public life, multistakeholder coalitions, and awareness-raising campaigns advanced the reform agenda. The lessons learned from this process can provide insights to international organizations, advocates, and policymakers on the necessary elements to carry out meaningful reforms for gender equality.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in the Middle East and North Africa
The worldwide COVID-19 crisis has heightened the importance of aligning childcare policies more closely with the needs of working parents and, in particular, working mothers. In light of these circumstances, Women, Business and the Law collected pilot data for 95 economies worldwide that measure legal frameworks for the provision of childcare services, focusing on availability, affordability, and quality. This brief assesses the regulatory frameworks around childcare provision in 13 economies in the Middle East and North Africa: Algeria; Bahrain; Djibouti; Egypt, Arab Rep.; Iran, Islamic Rep.; Jordan; Kuwait; Malta; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates. The brief focuses on existing regulatory frameworks and sheds light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services for children below the preprimary school starting age. The framework is presented that shows a range of options that governments in the Middle East and North Africa may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families, although international best practice frameworks are yet to be established.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
The worldwide COVID-19 crisis has heightened the importance of aligning childcare policies more closely with the needs of working parents and, in particular, working mothers. In light of these circumstances, Women, Business and the Law collected pilot data for 95 economies worldwide that measure legal frameworks for the provision of childcare services, focusing on availability, affordability, and quality. This brief assesses the regulatory frameworks around childcare provision in 12 economies in Europe and Central Asia: Bulgaria; Croatia; Georgia; Kyrgyz Republic; Moldova; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia; Tajikistan; Türkiye; Ukraine; and Uzbekistan. The brief focuses on existing regulatory frameworks and sheds light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services for children below the preprimary school starting age. The framework is presented that shows a range of options that governments in Europe and Central Asia may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families, although international best practice frameworks are yet to be established.
The Importance of Designing Gender and Disability Inclusive Laws: A Survey of Legislation in 190 Economies
Women with disabilities face additional barriers to their participation in the economy and society compared to men, with and without disabilities, and relative to nondisabled women, resulting in unequal parental rights, discrimination in their private life and the workplace, reduced employment opportunities, lower earnings, and high exposure to gender-based violence. The legal recognition of multiple forms of discrimination is a vital first step to address and, ultimately, enforce the human rights of women with disabilities and protect them from discriminatory practices. The law is thus one key element to achieve their full inclusion and enable societies to thrive in the long run. This Brief presents data collected by the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law project on the legal barriers that women with disabilities face when accessing economic opportunities in 190 economies. The new data suggest that only one-quarter of economies worldwide explicitly protect and promote the rights of women with disabilities.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in Sub-Saharan Africa
The worldwide COVID-19 crisis has heightened the importance of aligning childcare policies more closely with the needs of working parents and, in particular, working mothers. In light of these circumstances, Women, Business and the Law collected pilot data for 95 economies worldwide that measure legal frameworks for the provision of childcare services, focusing on availability, affordability, and quality. This brief assesses the regulatory frameworks around childcare provision for 21 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola; Botswana; Cabo Verde; Cote d’Ivoire; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Kenya; Malawi; Mauritania; Mauritius; Namibia; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; and Zambia. The brief focuses on existing regulatory gaps shedding light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around the key demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services for children below the preprimary school starting age. The framework is presented that shows a range of options that governments in Sub-Saharan Africa may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families although international best practice frameworks are yet to be established.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in Latin America and the Caribbean
The worldwide COVID-19 crisis has heightened the importance of aligning childcare policies more closely with the needs of working parents and, in particular, working mothers. In light of these circumstances, Women, Business and the Law collected pilot data for 95 economies worldwide that measure legal frameworks for the provision of childcare services, focusing on availability, affordability, and quality. This brief assesses the regulatory frameworks around childcare provision for 17 economies in Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina; Bahamas; the; Barbados; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Puerto Rico (US); Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago. The brief focuses on existing regulatory gaps shedding light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around the key demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services for children below the preprimary school starting age. The framework is presented that shows a range of options that governments in Latin America and the Caribbean may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families although international best practice frameworks are yet to be established.
Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in East Asia and Pacific
The worldwide COVID-19 crisis has heightened the importance of aligning childcare policies more closely with the needs of working parents and, in particular, working mothers. In light of these circumstances, Women, Business and the Law collected pilot data for 95 economies worldwide that measure legal frameworks for the provision of childcare services, focusing on availability, affordability, and quality. This brief assesses the regulatory frameworks around childcare provision for the ten economies in East Asia and Pacific: China; Fiji; Hong Kong SAR, China; Indonesia; Malaysia; Mongolia; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Vietnam. The brief focuses on existing regulatory gaps shedding light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around the key demand and supply side avenues that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services for children below the preprimary school starting age. The framework is presented that shows a range of options that governments in East Asia and Pacific may support to meet the needs of working mothers and families although international best practice frameworks are yet to be established.
Women's Rights in South Asia
An overview of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in South Asia. The profile identifies priority areas for legal reform and best practices from the region, based on Women, Business and the Law data.
Key Ingredients to Women’s Legal Rights in Kenya
Legislative reforms to increase gender equality before the law are often long and complex processes. This brief focuses on a series of reforms in Kenya, specifically, the adoption of the Sexual Offenses Act of 2006, the Employment Act of 2007, and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act of 2015. Strong evidence, broad coalitions, and incorporating the highest standards based on international best practice in early legal drafts are singled out as the key elements that led to the successful adoption of these landmark laws promoting women’s rights in Kenya. The lessons in this brief can provide important insights for policy makers, advocacy groups and international organizations involved in the pursuit of legal gender equality in Kenya and other countries.
Reforms to Enhance Gender Equality in the Democratic Republic of Congo: From Advocacy to Implementation
This brief examines two successful gender equality reforms in the Democratic Republic of Congo : the introduction of the Law on Parity in 2015 and an amendment to the Family Code in 2016. These two examples highlight three success factors: gender champions across local civil society groups; government and international actors making the economic case for reforming discriminatory provisions; and international obligations that allowed the reforms to pass. These legal reforms have had demonstrably positive effects on the lives of Congolese women and society. Yet, challenges remain for the Democratic Republic of Congo to achieve full gender equality in law and practice.
Challenging Entrenched Marital Power in South Africa
This first in a series of Women, Business and the Law case studies examines more than three decades of reform toward removing the husband's marital power from South African legislation, offering important insights on optimal contexts for change and the role of women in ongoing advocacy efforts.
Bangladesh Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Ethiopia Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Ethiopia. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
India Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in India. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Kenya Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Kenya. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Nigeria Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Pakistan Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Rwanda Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Rwanda. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Sri Lanka Economy Summary
A summary of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Sri Lanka. The summary identifies priority areas for legal reform based on Women, Business and the Law data and input from civil society organizations.
Women’s Rights in Western and Central Africa
An overview of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Western and Central Africa. The profile identifies priority areas for legal reform and best practices from the region, based on Women, Business and the Law data.
Women’s Rights in Eastern and Southern Africa
An overview of laws and regulations that advance women’s economic empowerment in Eastern and Southern Africa. The profile identifies priority areas for legal reform and best practices from the region, based on Women, Business and the Law data.
The Rights of Women with Disabilities
This topic note showcases the results of a pilot research on the legal rights of women with disabilities in 176 economies as part of the 10 Commitments on Disability-Inclusive Development. The research was developed with the support of the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework Implementation Support Unit (ESF ISU).
50 Years of Women's Rights
Today, women have just three-quarters of the legal rights of men. How have women’s legal rights evolved over the last 50 years? This infographic explores how more than 1,500 reforms enhancing women’s economic empowerment were passed in every country over the past 50 years.
Protecting Women from Violence - Bridging the Implementation Gap Between Law and Practice
This topic note is a Women, Business and the Law pilot exercise that examines the legally-mandated access and existence of certain key support services in a set of 100 economies by collecting data covering 13 questions on regulation aimed at closing gaps between laws on the books and implementation.
Women's Financial Inclusion and the Law
A case study examining how discriminatory laws can affect women's demand for financial services.
Saving for Old Age
Differences women face in their working lives relative to men can result in unequal economic outcomes in retirement. This case study examines the gender gap in access to pensions.
Closing the Gap: Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence
Violence against women and girls can take many forms, from marrying off a girl before she is developmentally ready to direct physical or sexual abuse by a partner. Whatever the form of violence, all limit a woman’s opportunities and restrict her full participation in and contribution to society.
Mapping the Legal Gender Gap in Accessing Business Environment Institutions
In addition to the challenges that all entrepreneurs face in starting businesses, female entrepreneurs can face challenges in meeting the legal prerequisites before business registration.
Mapping the Legal Gender Gap in Using Property & Building Credit
When seeking a loan, women and men can encounter many obstacles when they do not possess the right types of assets to pledge as collateral. Two of the indicators examine some of the legal and regulatory prerequisites needed to access and leverage property as collateral and to build credit histories.
Mapping the Legal Gender Gap in Getting a Job
Women, Business and the Law’s getting a job indicator measures regulations affecting the formal private sector that differentiate between women and men that might affect women’s ability to get jobs. Some of these differentiations might help women work. Others might prevent it.