Economics & Development

This Policy Brief draws on case studies from Chile, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, and Nepal to show the impact of family law on women’s economic opportunities, finding that family law reforms are key to expanding women’s access to property and economic decision making, yet progress is constrained by discriminatory social, religious, and cultural norms, while women’s rights groups are pivotal in advancing reforms, but patriarchal and religious barriers impede effective implementation, and calls for sustained global partnerships and international support to promote legal equality within families, highlighting its importance for achieving gender equality and inclusive economic growth.

This CPF FY26-FY30 Annex 7 outlines on Expanding Women’s Participation in Yemen’s Economy and Society highlights the critical role of women as a cross-cutting enabler for recovery and resilience. Despite extremely low labor force participation and limited access to finance, education, and services, women continue to contribute through informal and emerging sectors. The CPF adopts a phased, context-sensitive approach to increase women’s participation by stabilizing household wellbeing, expanding access to services and productive assets, and linking women to economic opportunities. It emphasizes locally acceptable interventions, financial inclusion, and skills development, while addressing social norms, safety risks, and gender inequalities to support sustainable livelihoods and inclusive growth.