ix Foreword

xiii Acknowledgments

xv Main Messages

xix Executive Summary

1 Chapter 1: Women, Business and the Law and Women’s Access to Jobs and Inclusive Growth

1 Women’s economic participation: A driver of jobs, productivity, and growth

3 The barriers holding women back: Human capital, norms, and legal constraints

6 Women, Business and the Law: A diagnostic tool for jobs and inclusive growth

14 References

21 Chapter 2: Women, Business and the Law 2.0: A New Frontier for Measuring Access to Jobs

21 From law to opportunity: How Women, Business and the Law measures equality

24 Women, Business and the Law topics

27 Methodological innovations to enhance policy relevance

37 Strengthening transparency and data quality

38 Annex 2A. Women, Business and the Law 2.0 questions

46 Notes

46 References

49 Chapter 3: The State of Women’s Economic Rights

49 An uneven landscape: Full economic rights for women not yet achieved

50 Global findings: Stronger laws, weaker implementation and enforcement

55 Deep regional and income inequalities across laws, supportive frameworks, and enforcement

61 Comparing the three pillars: Alignment but no parity

66 Women’s rights across the life cycle: Topic-level gaps worldwide

84 Reform momentum: Where women’s rights are strengthening

92 Conclusions: From laws to lasting equality

94 Annex 3A. Summaries of Reforms

106 Annex 3B. Women, Business and the Law 2026 Scores

113 Note

113 References