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Highlights

Countries cannot move forward if half of their citizens are held back

Equal treatment of women under the law is necessary for dynamic & resilient economies. The 2023 report finds that 176 countries maintain legal barriers to women’s full economic participation.

Government Financial Support for Childcare Services : A Study of Regulations ...

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.

How Did India Successfully Reform Women’s Rights? Part II : Answers from the ...

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. Part II: Answers from the Movement on Protection from Violence.

How Did India Successfully Reform Women’s Rights? Part I: Answers from the ...

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. Part I: Answers from the Movement on Equal Inheritance Rights.

Protecting Women and Girls from Cyber Harassment : A Global Assessment of ...

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.

Filling the Gaps : Childcare Laws for Women's Economic Empowerment

This paper aims to provide global evidence on whether and what attributes of laws governing the provision of childcare services affect women's labor market outcomes.

Accelerating Gender Equality Through Reforming Legal Frameworks

This thematic note emphasizes the role of laws and regulations in safeguarding women’s economic opportunities, for the purpose of informing the update of the World Bank Group’s Gender Strategy.

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.

Emerging Trends in National Financial Inclusion Strategies that Support Women’...

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.

Voices-of-Female-Entrepreneurs

Voices of Female Entrepreneurs

Featuring WE Empower Challenge awardees and finalists who share their stories and discuss laws that facilitate women’s entrepreneurship as well as remaining opportunities for legal reform to further advance women’s economic empowerment.

Gendered Laws and Women’s Financial Inclusion

Documenting the relationship between legal gender equality and the use of financial services, using individual-level data from 148 developed and developing economies.

Safeguarding the Rights of Women with Disabilities to Family Life, Work, and ...

Laws around the world largely fail to protect the rights of women with disabilities.

Legal Reforms to Protect Women at Home and at Work in São Tomé and Príncipe

Landmark reforms in São Tomé and Príncipe provide insights on the necessary elements to carry out meaningful reforms for gender equality.

Blogs

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Measuring the Legal Environment in Practice

This pilot project presents a new conceptual framework for measuring the implementation gap by examining supportive frameworks for primary legislation and expert opinions of laws in practice.

Toward Available, Affordable, and Quality Childcare Services

Women, Business and the Law presents a new conceptual framework for measuring the legal environment around the provision of childcare services. Related research provides further analysis of the data.

Women with Disabilities

WBL is collecting and analyzing data on the rights of women with disabilities under family law, labor law, and violence against women legislation.

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.

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.

Women's Financial Inclusion and the Law

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

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

Mobility

Examining constraints on women’s freedom of movement.

Workplace

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

Pay

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

Marriage

Assessing legal constraints related to marriage.

Parenthood

Evaluating laws affecting women’s work after having children.

Entrepreneurship

Examining constraints women face when starting and running a business.

Assets

Analyzing gender differences in property and inheritance law.

Pension

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

Additional Information

Experts

Norman Loayza

Director, Global Indicators Group

Tea Trumbic

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
Joseph Rebello
Media Inquiries
+1 (202) 458-8051
jrebello@worldbankgroup.org