Women’s Rights Laws Fail to Protect Women in Practice

The World Bank says many countries have laws that should help women work and earn money, but these laws are not being applied. The report shows a big gap between what the law says and what happens in real life. In its yearly survey, the bank looked at 190 countries. It gave an average score of 67 out of 100 for legal rights that support women’s jobs. But when it checked how well those laws are enforced, the score dropped to 53. The systems that should help women use their rights were only worth 47 on the same scale. Only a few women around the world live in places where they have almost all the legal rights needed to work freely. No country has reached that level yet. The report calls this “dumb” because many nations are struggling with slow growth and older populations, yet women still face many restrictions. Some regions have the biggest problems. Sub‑Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa have many legal and enforcement barriers. Even though more young women are looking for jobs, the rules still limit what they can do.

The study measured ten areas that affect women’s work chances: safety, getting around, working, earning money, marriage rules, parenthood, childcare, starting a business, owning property, and retirement plans. The weakest spots worldwide were safety and childcare. The data came from more than 2, 600 experts, scholars, activists, and officials who shared their knowledge. The report covers changes made between October 2023 and October 2025. In that period, 68 countries passed 113 new laws to improve women’s job prospects. Some of the leaders were Egypt, Madagascar, Somalia, Oman, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan. The main point is clear: having laws that say women can work is not enough. Governments must also make sure those laws are followed and supported by strong institutions. Without that, women still struggle to earn a living and enjoy equal rights.

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