col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-12
col-lg-12
Despite advances in skills and education, women’s labor force participation has been stuck at 53% since 1990.
large
When half the population is locked out, development stalls.
lp-heading-bottom-xxhuge
col-xs-12
col-sm-4
col-md-4
col-lg-4
A path for women to earn, contribute and lead
Women are a driving force of economic growth. Yet, barriers to connectivity, capital, and care continue to hold millions back. Unlocking women’s full potential is not just a matter of fairness; it is among the smartest investments a country can make.
The World Bank Group is tackling these barriers where they matter most, through digital inclusion, stronger social protection, and greater access to capital.
col-xs-12
col-sm-1
col-md-1
col-lg-1
col-xs-12
col-sm-7
col-md-7
col-lg-7
- lp-common-card-wrapper
- lp-sticky-card-wrapper
- lp-top-card-wrapper
background-image
Opening digital doors
true
no
lp lp-popup
Opening digital doors
300 million more women using broadband. By 2030, the World Bank Group aims to enable 300 million more women to use broadband, unlocking essential services, financial services, education, and job opportunities. For example, through the Chad Digital Transformation project, we are investing in the expansion of broadband to 4.5 million people, half of them women. The project increases the use of digital payments, and strengthens government capacity on online safety and digital trust to ensure women can access and benefit from digital services.
background-image
Building secure lives
true
no
lp lp-popup
Building Secure Lives
250 million more women supported through social protection. The World Bank Group is working to support 250 million women with social protection programs by 2030, focusing especially on the poorest and most vulnerable. Social protection helps women manage risk and stabilize income through support such as cash assistance and access to jobs. It is especially critical for women balancing caregiving responsibilities or working in informal employment. For example, the Urban Productive Safety Net and Jobs Project is expanding women’s economic inclusion by pairing income support with skills development and pathways to employment. By addressing both immediate needs and long-term opportunity, the program is helping women strengthen livelihoods and build greater economic security in urban communities.
background-image
Financing new futures
true
no
lp lp-popup
Financing new futures
80 million more women and women-led businesses with capital. By 2030, the World Bank Group seeks to provide 80 million more women and women-led businesses with capital, addressing a critical constraint to entrepreneurship growth. Access to finance remains one of the biggest barriers facing women entrepreneurs, limiting business growth and job creation. To help close this gap, the World Bank Group facilitates access to private capital and markets for women-led businesses through initiatives such as Banking on Women, the Guarantee Platform, and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
Our targets
By concentrating on these areas, we can break down deep rooted barriers and create more jobs. Learn More.
250M MORE
Women supported through social protection
How women grow economies
large
Women’s economic lives look different from place to place. But when women earn, build businesses, and step into leadership, the effects extend beyond individual households, into their communities and beyond.
lp-heading-top-none
lp-heading-bottom-large
true
image
South Asia
South Asia
true
true
#ClearHerPath: Breaking Barriers to Women’s Employment in South Asia
Across South Asia, women are gaining pathways to better jobs and higher earnings as countries tackle barriers to skills, mobility, childcare, and workforce participation.
image
East Asia & Pacific
true
true
Creating Jobs and Expanding Economic Opportunity for Women
From entrepreneurs and farmers to factory workers and business leaders, women across East Asia and the Pacific are accessing new opportunities that strengthen livelihoods and drive economic growth.
image
Western and Central Africa
true
true
From potential to skills and real jobs
Young women are acquiring practical skills and transitioning into stable employment, with more than 255,000 individuals participating in training and economic empowerment programs.
col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-12
col-lg-12
Default alt
col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-12
col-lg-12
The path to unlocking women’s potential.
large
This is not an individual problem. It’s a systemic one. Solving it requires a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors. Our plan focuses on three areas:
lp-heading-top-none
lp-heading-bottom-huge
col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-12
col-lg-12
background-color
Build the foundation
Health and learning, safety, legal reforms
true
no
lp lp-popup
Build the Foundation
Women can’t move forward economically without safety, health, and basic rights. Preventing gender-based violence and expanding access to education and health care create the stability women need to look for work or start businesses of their own. Over time, some build skills and step into leadership roles if they choose. A strong foundation makes it easier for women to build economic lives that make sense for them.
background-color
Expand access to opportunity
Connectivity, childcare, financial inclusion
true
no
lp lp-popup
Expand access to opportunity
Many women are ready to work or grow something of their own but lack access to the support that makes it possible. Reliable services and social protection can reduce risk and make planning for the future feel within reach. When access improves, women are better able to enter work, stay employed, or build small businesses over time. Expanding access turns potential into real economic participation.
background-color
Harness the power of the private sector
Investment, markets, supply chains, workplaces
true
no
lp lp-popup
Harness the private sector
Most jobs are created by businesses. The World Bank Group works with companies and investors to help women access financing, reach markets,
and succeed in the workplace. When women can grow a business or move
into better jobs, they often bring others with them. Working with the
private sector is how individual gains translate into job creation and stronger local economies.
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
Opportunity changes everything
large
Progress is already taking hold. Across sectors, women are turning new skills, tools, and protections into meaningful work. These gains ripple outward, strengthening local industries, reducing poverty and building more resilient economies.
lp-heading-top-none
lp-heading-bottom-default
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
background-image
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Circular Fashion
true
no
lp lp-popup
Weaving the Future: How Circular Fashion is Creating Jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A women-led circular fashion studio is proving that design can create dignified jobs, preserve skills, and build sustainable local business models when capital and advisory support are available.
aem-internal-page
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
background-image
South Sudan
Scaling Businesses
true
no
lp lp-popup
In South Sudan, Women Are Building Businesses
In one of the world’s most fragile settings, women entrepreneurs are keeping local economies alive. With training, grants, coaching, and market connections, businesses like Ubuntu are finding pathways to scale.
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
background-image
Morocco
Logistics & Infrastructure
true
no
lp lp-popup
Morocco
Logistics & Infrastructure
Loubna Ghaleb’s leadership at Tanger Med shows women’s role in infrastructure and logistics. Women are entering high-impact sectors, advancing into leadership, and helping drive economic growth across their communities and countries.
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
background-image
Algeria
Digital Entrepreneurship
true
lp lp-popup
Algeria
Digital Entrepreneurship
In Algeria, women entrepreneurs are going digital, showing that economic empowerment is about more than access to finance. With support from We-Fi, women-led businesses are building the confidence and capability to grow online and reach new markets. As skills strengthen and institutions align,
entrepreneurs are expanding what’s possible for their businesses and for the economy around them.
col-xs-12
col-sm-6
col-md-4
col-lg-4
background-image
Honduras
Agribusiness
true
no
lp lp-popup
Honduras
Agribusiness
These stories of women producers, workers, and leaders show that women’s economic empowerment drives rural development, reduces labor vulnerability, and creates role models for future generations.
Partnerships power progress
large
No single institution can unlock women’s potential alone. Progress depends on partners who can shape policy, mobilize capital, and deliver solutions at scale. Together, we can turn opportunity into jobs and lasting growth.
lp-heading-bottom-none
background-image
Government and policy leaders
true
lp lp-popup
Government and policy leaders
Creating the conditions for women’s economic participation.
Reform laws and policies that shape opportunity
Labor, property, and business laws determine women’s participation in the job market and their ability to become leaders
Invest in systems women rely on
Locking things in place like childcare, social protection, education, and transport help women enter and remain in the workforce.
Strengthen safety and accountability
Addressing gender-based violence and workplace safety reduces risk and expands women’s freedom to participate economically.
Scale impact nationwide
Government leadership enables reforms to reach millions of women, not just individual projects.
background-image
Private sector and investors
true
no
lp lp-popup
Private sector and investors
Turning opportunity into jobs.
Finance women-led businesses
Provides capital that allows women-owned firms to start, grow, and hire.
Expand markets and supply chains
Opens pathways for women to sell goods and services beyond local markets.
Improve workplace practices
Helps employers improve safety, retention, and career progression by adopting more inclusive workplace practices.
Create jobs at scale
Successful enterprises grow into reliable sources of employment.
background-image
Development partners and global initiatives
true
lp lp-popup
Development partners and global initiatives
Driving learning and scale.
Fund evidence and innovation
Partners support research and pilots through mechanisms like the Umbrella Fund for Gender Equality.
Test what works across contexts
Global initiatives generate practical evidence on how to improve women’s economic participation.
Share lessons across countries
Learning travels faster and reaches more people when partners coordinate.
Support scale and drive results
Evidence-backed approaches help governments and investors act with confidence.
Working as One World Bank Group
large
The Gender Department works across the World Bank Group to align this effort with our mission to empower people and strengthen economies. IBRD and IDA support policy reforms and systems that expand women’s opportunities. IFC opens private-sector markets and financing. MIGA helps de-risk investments that can create jobs for women. And ICSID strengthens investor confidence through legal stability.
lp-heading-bottom-none
background-image
Across the Bank
Center for Research on Women and Jobs (CRWJ)
true
lp lp-popup
Across The Bank
Center for Research on Women and Jobs (CRWJ)
By bringing together data, research, and country experience, we’ve created a hub focused on how women participate in the economy and what helps them succeed at work. It translates evidence into practical insights that
inform policies and programs supporting jobs, entrepreneurship, and productivity. This work helps countries expand women’s economic participation and drive growth.
background-image
IFC
Empowering women
true
lp lp-popup
IFC
Empowering Women
Meet Bayermaa, a weaver whose business growth shows what’s possible when women can access capital and reach new markets. Through IFC’s work with companies and financial institutions, women entrepreneurs are creating jobs and opening safer, more inclusive workplaces. Bayermaa's story highlights how private investment can support leadership, resilience, and opportunity at the community level.
you-tube
F4QZVdF6VYY
background-image
MIGA
Advancing gender equality
true
lp lp-popup
MIGA
Advancing Gender Equality
MIGA uses guarantees to unlock private investment that supports women’s economic inclusion. Through the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, MIGA helps expand financing for women-owned businesses, strengthen leadership across sectors, and address gender-based violence risks as part of its work to create safer environments for women. See how risk mitigation can become a catalyst for safer, more inclusive growth.
you-tube
i7bJ63ZUmF8
Halima Abukar
Somali construction worker
“My neighbors used to say construction wasn’t for women. Now, they ask me how to join! There’s no such thing as ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work. If you have the skill and determination, you can do anything.”
false
col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-7
col-lg-7
Stay involved
large
Dive deeper into the data, programs, and conversations driving women’s economic progress worldwide.
View Resources & Events
col-xs-12
col-sm-12
col-md-5
col-lg-5
- two-column
Contact Us
false