Albania among Top 40 Countries for Women’s Business Participation

TIRANA, January 15

The regulatory environment for women’s economic participation in Albania was improved during the years, yet there’s still room for enhancement. The latest World Bank (WB) Women, Business, and the Law 2020 Index ranks Albania 35th among 190 world economies with a 91.3 score.
The country would achieve the perfect score of 100 if it wasn’t for the legal differences between genders in terms of parenthood and pensions. Meanwhile, Kosovo ranks two places ahead with a score of 91.9.
The index tracks how the laws affect women at different stages of their working life by measuring reforms in the following areas: mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension.

Mobility examines constraints on freedom of movement.
Workplace analyses laws affecting women’s decision to work.
Pay measures laws and regulations affecting women’s pay.
Marriage assesses legal constrains related to marriage.
Parenthood examines laws affecting women’s work after having children.
Entrepreneurship analyzes constraints on women’s starting and running a business.
Assets consider gender differences in property and inheritance.
Pension assesses laws affecting the size of a woman’s pension.

Compared to the other countries of the region Albania scored better than Bosnia and Herzegovina (85.0), Montenegro (81.9) and North Macedonia (85.0). Meanwhile, Serbia had the best performance in the region with a 93.8 score.
The countries that scored 100 were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxemburg, and Sweden. The global average score was 75.2.

The WBL index measures only formal laws and the regulations, which govern a woman’s ability to work or own businesses– a country’s actual norms and practices are not captured.

Source/Photo Credit: The WB