Women, Business and the Law 2026: Key Global Findings
Context:
A recent World bank report, "Women, Business and the Law 2026", found that laws giving women equal economic chances are only enforced about halfway worldwide. Even with better laws, weak enforcement means women still face big barriers at work. This gap slows global economic growth and keeps gender inequality high.
About the Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2026 Report:
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- The Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2026 report is the 11th annual study covering 190 economies. It measures how laws and policies affect women’s economic opportunities.
- This edition introduces the WBL 2.0 framework, which evaluates three pillars:
- Legal Frameworks – Laws guaranteeing equality
- Supportive Frameworks – Policies and services that enable implementation
- Enforcement Perceptions – How effectively laws are applied in reality
- Legal Frameworks – Laws guaranteeing equality
- The Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2026 report is the 11th annual study covering 190 economies. It measures how laws and policies affect women’s economic opportunities.
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Key Findings of the Report:
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- The report states that, on average, countries score 67 out of 100 for having laws that support women’s economic equality. However, when it comes to enforcing these laws, the score falls to 53. Further, the systems needed to implement these rights score only 47.
- Only 4% of women worldwide live in countries where there is nearly full legal equality. Even if all existing laws were fully enforced, women would still have only about two-thirds of the legal rights available to men.
- The report states that, on average, countries score 67 out of 100 for having laws that support women’s economic equality. However, when it comes to enforcing these laws, the score falls to 53. Further, the systems needed to implement these rights score only 47.
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Major Areas of Concern:
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- Safety from Violence: Safety is identified as the biggest weakness. Many countries lack strong laws protecting women from violence at home, in public, and at the workplace. Even where such laws exist, enforcement is weak. Without safety, women cannot participate fully in economic life.
- Access to Credit and Entrepreneurship: Although women are legally allowed to start businesses in most countries, only about half of the economies ensure equal access to credit. Many women entrepreneurs struggle to get loans due to lack of collateral, financial bias, and limited banking support. This restricts business growth and innovation.
- Childcare Support: Childcare remains a major barrier to women’s employment. Less than half of the countries provide financial or tax support for childcare. In low-income nations, childcare systems are almost absent. Without affordable childcare, many women are forced to leave jobs or work in informal sectors.
- Economic Impact: The report warns that weak enforcement of women’s economic rights is holding back global growth. Over the next decade, about 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce, half of them girls. If women do not get equal opportunities, countries will lose a major part of their productive population.
- Recent Progress: Despite challenges, some progress has been made. In the last two years, 68 countries introduced 113 legal reforms to improve women’s economic rights. Egypt was identified as one of the top reformers.
- Safety from Violence: Safety is identified as the biggest weakness. Many countries lack strong laws protecting women from violence at home, in public, and at the workplace. Even where such laws exist, enforcement is weak. Without safety, women cannot participate fully in economic life.
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Conclusion:
The World Bank report makes it clear that passing laws is not enough. Countries must ensure proper enforcement and build strong institutions to support women’s economic participation. True gender equality is not only a social goal but also an economic necessity for sustainable development.
