Zoom in, see more: Women, Business and the Law uncovers local barriers to women’s economic participation Lolita Laperle-ForgetAlena Sakhonchik February 19, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/zoom-in--see-more--women--business-and-the-law-uncovers-local-ba Two women can live just miles apart in the same country and face entirely different economic rights. Whether a woman can work, start a business, inherit property, or access financial services often depends not only on national laws, but also on where she lives—how state rules, local administrative procedures, and sector-specific regulations are applied. Most country‑level assessments overlook these subnational differences, capturing only a partial picture. To reveal what national data misses, Women, Business and the Law (WBL) piloted a first-of-its-kind initiative to collect subnational data on legal and policy barriers, starting with Nigeria in West and Central Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eastern Europe. © 2026 The World Bank Group,