World Bank: women's economic rights laws only half-enforced worldwide

Laws designed to give women equal economic opportunities are only half-enforced on average around the world, according to a new report by the World Bank. The findings, published in the latest Women, Business and the Law study, paint a sobering picture: even if all existing laws were fully applied, women would still hold barely two-thirds of the legal rights that men enjoy, and only 4% of women globally live in countries that come close to full legal equality.

The report, which covers 190 economies across ten areas including employment, safety, childcare, entrepreneurship and asset ownership, shows a sharp gap between laws on paper and reality on the ground. The average country scores 67 out of 100 for the quality of its equality laws, but enforcement drops to 53 and the systems needed to make those rights work score just 47. Legal experts surveyed confirmed that fewer than half the policies and services needed to back up women’s economic rights are actually in place.

Safety from violence stands out as one of the weakest areas. Countries have only a third of the safety laws they need, and even those are enforced just 20% of the time. Access to affordable childcare is another critical gap — less than half of the economies covered require financial or tax support for families, and in low-income countries just 1% of childcare support mechanisms are in place. Without safe working environments and reliable childcare, millions of women simply cannot enter or stay in the workforce.

Despite these gaps, the report finds real progress in law reform. Over the past two years, 68 countries have passed 113 positive legal changes. Sub-Saharan Africa led all regions with 33 reforms, including moves in Madagascar and Somalia to lift bans on women working in construction, manufacturing and agriculture. Egypt was the world’s top reformer, raising its legal equality score by nearly 10 points through measures including extended paid parental leave, mandatory equal pay and flexible work arrangements.

With 1.2 billion young people set to enter the workforce over the next decade, half of them women and girls, the report’s lead author Tea Trumbic says closing these gaps is not just a fairness issue — it is an economic necessity. Ensuring equal opportunity for women, particularly in regions where barriers are highest and growth potential is greatest, would benefit entire societies, not just the women directly affected.