Countries are moving slowly toward greater gender equality. However, women around the world continue to face laws and regulations that limit their economic opportunities, while the Covid-19 pandemic opens up new challenges when it comes to their health, safety and economic security, says the new World Bank report.
Reforms aimed at removing barriers to women’s economic inclusion have been slow in many regions and uneven within those regions, according to the Women, Business and the Law 2021 report.
On average, women have only 3/4 of the legal rights granted to men. Women were at a disadvantage even before the pandemic, and government initiatives to mitigate some of the effects of the pandemic, although innovative, were limited in a number of countries, the report points out.
