A new study by the World Bank has revealed that women around the world continue to face laws and regulations that restrict them from taking advantage of the numerous economic opportunities available to them.
According to the new report titled Women, Business and the Law 2021, reforms to remove obstacles to women’s economic inclusion have been slow and uneven in many countries.
“Women need to be fully included in economies in order to achieve better development outcomes. Despite progress in many countries, there have been troubling reversals in a few, including restricting women’s travel without the permission of a male guardian. This pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities that disadvantage girls and women, including barriers to attend school and maintain jobs,” said David Malpass, World Bank Group President.
“Women are also facing a rise in domestic violence and health and safety challenges. Women should have the same access to finance and the same rights to inheritance as men and must be at the center of our efforts toward an inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
“Women were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic, and government initiatives to buffer some of its effects, while innovative, have been limited in many countries,” the report also stated.
Adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges to women’s health, safety, and economic security.
“While it is encouraging that many countries have proactively taken steps to help women navigate the pandemic, it’s clear that more work is needed. Countries need to create a legal environment that enhances women’s economic inclusion, so that they can make the best choices for themselves and their families,” said Mari Pangestu, Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships at the World Bank.
Women, Business and the Law 2021 measures the laws and regulations across 8 areas that affect women’s economic opportunities in 190 countries, covering the period from September 2019-October 2020. From the basics of movement in the community to the challenges of working, parenting, and retiring, the data offers objective and measurable benchmarks for global progress toward gender equality.
Following the outbreak of the pandemic, this report also looks at government responses to the COVID-19 crisis and how the pandemic has impacted women at work and at home, focusing on childcare, access to justice, and health and safety.
Achieving legal gender equality requires a concerted effort by governments, civil society, and international organizations, among others. But legal and regulatory reforms can serve as an important catalyst to improve the lives of women as well as their families and communities.
Better performance in the areas measured by Women, Business and the Law 2021 is associated with narrowing the gender gap in development outcomes, higher female labour force participation, lower vulnerable employment, and greater representation of women in national parliaments.
