The World Bank study says there is a marked improvement in the regulatory environment necessary to enable economic participation by women over the past two years.
This, it said, followed the fact that 40 economies enacted 62 reforms to help women realize their potential and contribute to economic growth and development.
The study, Women Business and the Law 2020, which covers reforms across eight areas associated with women’s economic empowerment, conducted between June 2017 and September 2019.
It measures 190 economies, tracking how laws affect women at different stages in their working lives and focusing on those laws applicable in the main business city.
Nonetheless, the statement noted, the results of the study remains uneven, with women in many countries having only a fraction of the legal rights of men, thereby holding back their economic and social development.
The statement quoted World Bank Group President David Malpass. quoted “Legal rights for women are both the right thing to do and good from an economic perspective. When women can move more freely, work outside the home and manage assets, they are more likely to join the workforce and help strengthen their country’s economies.
“We stand ready to help until every woman can move through her life without facing legal barriers to her success.”