Across the world, gender equality has moved from the margins of policy debate to the centre of economic strategy. From the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to regional charters and national constitutions, governments have embedded legal commitments intended to secure women’s rights in employment, entrepreneurship, pay, mobility and protection from violence. Yet the latest edition of the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law report, released in February 2026, reveals a persistent and measurable gap between legal ambition and lived reality.
For the first time since the inception of the study, the World Bank has assessed not only whether laws exist on paper, but whether they are effectively enforced and supported by the institutions and systems required to make them meaningful. The findings are global in scope, covering one hundred and ninety economies, and they present a sobering but constructive challenge to policymakers everywhere, including across Africa.
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The 2026 report shows that, on average, economies worldwide achieve a score of sixty-seven out of one hundred when measuring the quality and scope of gender-equality legislation. This reflects considerable progress over recent decades. Many countries now prohibit gender-based discrimination in employment, guarantee equal remuneration, and remove restrictions on women’s ability to work in specific sectors.
The global momentum has not been symbolic. Legal reforms continue at pace. Between October 2023 and October 2025 alone, dozens of reforms were enacted across regions, with Sub-Saharan Africa registering the highest number of legislative changes in that period. Countries, including Madagascar and Somalia, eliminated sectoral restrictions that previously barred women from certain types of work, aligning domestic frameworks more closely with international labour standards.
However, the report makes clear that legislative reform, while necessary, is not sufficient. When enforcement is examined, the global average score drops sharply. The effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms stands at fifty-three out of one hundred. When the presence of supportive systems such as budgets, monitoring institutions, legal aid frameworks and administrative procedures is evaluated, the global score declines further to forty-seven. These figures demonstrate that legal equality frequently outpaces institutional readiness.
The report also finds that only a very small proportion of women worldwide live in economies that provide something close to full legal equality across all measured areas. This reality underscores the unfinished nature of the global gender equality agenda.
It is essential to situate Africa within this global picture rather than isolate it from it. Sub-Saharan Africa is not characterised by stagnation; rather, it has been one of the most active reforming regions in recent years. The World Bank identifies the region as having implemented more gender-related legal reforms over the past two years than any other part of the world.
These reforms span labour codes, entrepreneurship rights and sectoral access. Several African countries have revised statutes to eliminate discriminatory provisions and to expand economic opportunity for women. Such reforms are aligned with continental frameworks, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and commitments under the Maputo Protocol.
Yet, as the report indicates, enforcement challenges are not unique to Africa. They are global. In many low- and middle-income economies, institutional capacity constraints, budgetary limitations and informal labour markets complicate implementation. Across parts of Africa, high levels of informal employment mean that even well-designed labour protections do not always reach the women most in need of them.
The report further highlights that supportive services remain uneven. Access to affordable childcare, for example, is limited in many economies worldwide. Fewer than half of the economies assessed provide financial or tax support for childcare. Among those that do, only a minority offer the full range of services considered necessary to meaningfully enable women’s participation in the workforce. In low-income economies, the availability of comprehensive childcare systems is particularly rare.
Importantly, the report notes that safety protections for women remain one of the weakest areas globally. While many countries criminalise domestic violence and workplace harassment, enforcement mechanisms are frequently under-resourced. The World Bank finds that enforcement gaps in protections against violence are among the largest across all areas assessed. This is a global structural challenge, not a regional anomaly.
Economic Consequences: Human Capital at Stake
The implications of these enforcement gaps extend beyond rights discourse into the realm of macroeconomic performance. Over the coming decade, more than one billion young people are expected to enter the global workforce, roughly half of them women. If legal frameworks are not effectively implemented, the economic contribution of this generation will fall short of its potential.
Research consistently shows that higher female labour force participation correlates with stronger economic growth, greater productivity and enhanced household welfare. Gender gaps in entrepreneurship and access to finance similarly constrain private sector expansion. Although many economies legally permit women to open businesses, own assets, and sign contracts on equal terms with men, practical barriers in accessing credit and financial services remain significant.
The World Bank’s analysis suggests that strengthening enforcement and implementation could yield substantial economic dividends. Countries that combine legal equality with effective institutions and supportive services are better positioned to harness the full productivity of their populations.
What the Evidence Suggests
The path forward requires deliberate policy alignment between law, institutions and social norms.
First, governments must invest in enforcement capacity. This includes adequately funding labour inspectorates, strengthening judicial systems, ensuring access to legal aid and establishing transparent monitoring mechanisms. Laws without institutional backing risk becoming declaratory rather than transformative.
Second, expanding supportive infrastructure is critical. Affordable childcare, parental leave policies and workplace protections are not social luxuries; they are economic enablers. Evidence from multiple regions demonstrates that such measures significantly increase women’s participation in formal employment.
Third, financial inclusion must move beyond formal permission to practical access. Strengthening credit information systems, supporting women-led enterprises through targeted programmes and leveraging digital financial platforms can help close persistent financing gaps.
Finally, social norms must be addressed alongside formal statutes. Legal reform is most effective when accompanied by public awareness campaigns, education initiatives and community engagement that reinforce equality as both a legal right and a societal value.
From Commitment to Credibility
The 2026 Women, Business and the Law report does not portray a world divided between reformers and laggards. Rather, it reveals a universal challenge: translating legislative commitments into everyday realities. Africa’s recent reform momentum demonstrates political will and forward movement. The next phase lies in consolidating these gains through stronger institutions, sustained investment and regional collaboration.
The credibility of gender equality commitments now depends less on what is written in statute books and more on what is delivered in workplaces, courts, financial institutions and homes. For Africa, as for the rest of the world, the opportunity is clear. By closing the gap between law and enforcement, economies can strengthen human capital, deepen resilience and accelerate inclusive growth.
