WATCH THE LAUNCH Download the Report

Contribute to our research and help accelerate gender equality.

Share your expertise

Explore Our Data

OR

OTHER OPTIONS

Highlights

Child care incentive fund

Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare in East Asia and Pacific

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. It sheds light on essential entry points for facilitating and informing policy dialogue in the region around the key demand and supply side that limit or facilitate formal provision of childcare services.

Image

Women, Business and the Law Economy Summaries

The economy summary series delves into legal reforms that advance women’s economic empowerment. It also identifies gaps that persist before men and women achieve equality before the law. Each summary draws on Women, Business and the Law data from 1970 to 2020 and input from civil society organizations.

A graphic image of the group of women on a white background with the text “Kenya case study brief. March, 2022”.

Key Ingredients to Women’s Legal Rights in Kenya

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. 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.

Image

Reforms to Enhance Gender Equality in the Democratic Republic of Congo: From ...

This brief examines 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.

Image

Challenging Entrenched Marital Power in South Africa

This brief 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.

Image

Regional Profiles

The regional profile series presents data on laws, regulations, and reform trends that advance women’s economic empowerment. It highlights persistent gaps and identifies best practices to help achieve equality before the law. Each profile draws on Women, Business and the Law data from 1970 to 2020. Regional profiles in the series include Western and Central Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, and South Asia.

Events

Blogs

View All Blogs Arrow

Resources

View All Resources Arrow
Image

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.

Image

50 Years of Women's Rights

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.

Image

Protecting Women from Violence

This topic note examines the legally-mandated access and existence of certain key support services in a set of 100 economies on regulation aimed at closing gaps between laws and their implementation.

Image

Tackling Childcare

This note showcases how different countries regulate private childcare services. It builds awareness of how quality childcare services are linked to women’s economic empowerment and identifies areas for reform.

Image

Discriminatory Laws Against Women: A Survey of Literature

This working paper reviews the empirical literature on the impact of gender discriminatory laws on women’s outcomes across various domains constituting Women, Business and the Law’s measure of gender inequality.

Image

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.

Image

Women's Financial Inclusion and the Law

A case study examining how discriminatory laws can affect women’s demand for financial services.

Image

Ending Violence against Women and Girls

Part of a series that assesses the role of laws and specific programs or interventions in ending violence against women.

Explore our Indicators

Image

Mobility

Examining constraints on women’s freedom of movement.

Image

Workplace

Analyzing laws affecting women’s decisions to enter and remain in the labor force.

Image

Pay

Measuring laws and regulations concerning job restrictions and the gender wage gap.

Image

Marriage

Assessing legal constraints related to marriage.

Image

Parenthood

Evaluating laws affecting women’s work after having children.

Image

Entrepreneurship

Examining constraints women face when starting and running a business.

Image

Assets

Analyzing gender differences in property and inheritance law.

Image

Pension

Assessing laws affecting the size of a woman’s pension.

Additional Information

Experts

Image

Norman Loayza

Director, Global Indicators Group

Image

Tea Trumbic

Program Manager, Women, Business and the Law, Global Indicators Group

Meet the Team Arrow

Contacts

1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
USA
wbl@worldbank.org
Anugraha Palan
Media Inquiries
+1 (202) 473-9157
apalan@worldbankgroup.org

Stay Connected