LAWS AFFECT WOMEN THROUGHOUT THEIR WORKING LIVES Women navigate discriminatory laws and regulations at every point in their careers, limiting their equality of opportunity. 2
WOMEN HAVE JUST THREE FOURTHS THE RIGHTS OF MEN The global average Women, Business and the Law index score is 75.2. 3
ONLY EIGHT ECONOMIES + Belgium + Sweden + France + Canada + Luxembourg RECEIVE A SCORE OF 2010 2013 2015 2017 100 2016 2014 2012 2020 A decade ago, none of these economies received the top 0 economies + Denmark + Latvia + Iceland score. 4
WBL Index HIGHER Score Higher female SCORES MEAN labor force participation BETTER OUTCOMES FOR WOMEN Lower wage gap between women and men Better performance is associated with more women in the labor force and with higher income Improved and improved development outcomes. development outcomes 5
2 years MORE THAN 20% OF ECONOMIES REFORMED 40 economies TOWARD EQUALITY Three economies implemented 62 reforms changes that reduced equality. 6
Saudi Arabia + 38.8 United Arab Emirates + 29.4 ECONOMIES IN Nepal + 18.1 AFRICA AND South Sudan THE MIDDLE + 18.1 EAST ARE TOP São Tomé and Príncipe + 11.9 IMPROVERS Bahrain + 8.8 Saudi Arabia made the biggest Congo, Dem. Rep. improvement in the index since + 8.8 2017. Djibouti + 8.8 Jordan + 8.8 Tunisia + 8.8 7
ECONOMIES ARE REFORMING IN THE AREAS THAT NEED IT PAY PARENTHOOD MOST 12 economies removed 16 economies introduced The most popular areas of reform restrictions on the jobs that reforms in the last two are Parenthood and Pay. women can work, or years, including mandating introduced equal maternity, paternity, or remuneration for work of parental leave. equal value. 8
100.0 94.6 94.0 EVERY REGION 84.2 83.8 MADE 79.2 78.7 75.0 71.3 70.8 PROGRESS 69.9 68.5 WBL index 62.3 TOWARD 59.1 EQUALITY 49.6 50.0 44.9 The lowest-scoring regions saw the most improvement over the last two years. 25.0 High income: Europe & Latin America East Asia & Sub-Saharan South Asia Middle East & OECD Central Asia & Caribbean Pacific Africa North Africa 2017 2019 9
The Path of Regional Reform by Index Score 100 90 80 50 YEARS 70 OF WOMEN’S 60 RIGHTS 50 40 Every economy measured has made at least one regulatory 30 change each year since 1970, for a total of 1,517 reforms over 50 20 years. 10 0 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 East Asia & Pacific Europe & Central Asia High income: OECD Latin America & Caribbean Middle East & North Africa South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa 10
LEARN MORE Read the study and download the data set at wbl.worldbank.org. 11
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