A groundbreaking report from the World Bank Group reveals that the global gender gap for women in the workplace is much wider than previously recognized.
Taking into account legal disparities related to violence and childcare, the report finds that women hold fewer than two-thirds of the rights enjoyed by men. Shockingly, no country provides equal opportunities for women, including even the wealthiest economies.
The latest Women, Business, and the Law report offers a comprehensive assessment of the barriers hindering women’s entry into the global workforce and their ability to contribute to economic prosperity for themselves, their families, and their communities. By expanding its analysis to include safety from violence and access to childcare services, the report uncovers that women, on average, only benefit from 64% of the legal protections available to men—a significant decrease from the previous estimate of 77%.
Furthermore, the report reveals that the gender gap is even wider in practice, with countries demonstrating a significant implementation gap in translating legal reforms into tangible outcomes for women. While laws may imply that women enjoy roughly two-thirds of men’s rights, countries have established less than 40% of the necessary systems for full implementation on average.
Notably, the report identifies critical areas of concern, such as protections against domestic violence and access to childcare. Despite advances in legal reforms related to pay, parental rights, and workplace protections, nearly all countries perform poorly in these newly tracked categories. Women’s safety, in particular, remains a significant challenge, with global average scores indicating minimal legal protections against domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, and femicide.
Additionally, obstacles persist in areas such as entrepreneurship, where gender-sensitive criteria for public procurement processes are lacking in most economies. Women also face disparities in pay, retirement benefits, and pension security, further exacerbating financial inequalities.
The report underscores the urgent need for reforms and public policies to empower women in the workforce and entrepreneurship. Increasing women’s economic participation promotes fairness, drives economic growth, and fosters inclusive decision-making processes. As countries strive to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, prioritizing gender equality in business and the law is imperative for building resilient and equitable economies.
