“我想挣脱”：法律和社会规范如何为女性打开大门

“I Want to Break Free” How Laws and Social Norms Open Doors for WomenPublic Disclosure Authorized Alev Gurbuz CuneoAna Maria Tribin UribeTea TrumbicCaroline Perrin Development EconomicsGlobal Indicators GroupJanuary 2026 A verified reproducibility package for this paper isavailable athttp://reproducibility.worldbank.org,clickherefor direct access. Policy Research Working Paper11288 Abstract This paper develops a conceptual framework to analyzehow gendered social norms mediate the effects of legalframeworks on women’s economic empowerment. Usingthe World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law domains,Safety, Mobility, Work, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Child-care, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension, as an organizingstructure, the study conducts a targeted, systematic reviewof 130 studies focused on nearly 30 single-country casesand diverse regional or multi-country contexts. Each studyis coded by domain, research method, and type of norm-law interaction, enabling the identification of patternsof evidence and gaps. Only 56 percent of the reviewed studies establish causal relationships, with most relyingon cross-sectional data and concentrated on high-incomecountries. Qualitative research provides rich contextualinsights but remains fragmented. The review highlights ascarcity of longitudinal data, as existing sources differ in thetypes of information they provide, vary in country coverage,and are often discontinuous over time, resulting in limitedevidence on the links or causal relationships between legalreforms and gendered social norms. Although not exhaus-tive, the paper offers both a conceptual and data-based mapof the literature. This paper is a product of the Global Indicators Group, Development Economics. It is part of a larger effort by theWorld Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around theworld. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The authors maybe contacted at agurbuz@worldbank.org; atribin@worldbank.org; ttrumbic@worldbank.org; cperrin@worldbank.org. Averified reproducibility package for this paper is available athttp://reproducibility.worldbank.org, clickherefor direct access. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about developmentissues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry thenames of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely thoseof the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank andits affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. “I Want to Break Free”: How Laws and Social Norms Open Doors forWomen Alev Gurbuz Cuneo, Ana Maria Tribin Uribe, Tea Trumbic and Caroline Perrin1 Keywords:Social Norms, Legal Frameworks, Women’s Economic Empowerment, GenderInequality, Laws.JEL Codes:Z13, K38, J21. 1. Introduction In the past century, significant strides have been made toward achieving gender equality and realizingwomen’s rights globally. Women's workforce participation has increased significantly, empoweringthem economically and providing access to income and assets. Violence against women is recognizedas a human rights abuse in both international and national laws. Moreover, there are more women inpolitical office, and access to sexual and reproductive health care has improved. These advancementsresult from various factors, including women's mobilization, labor movements, legislative changes, andeconomic transformations(United Nations 2023). Advancing gender equality is not only a matter of human rights but also critical for broader economicdevelopment. Boserup (1970) emphasized that overlooking women's economic roles can slow overallgrowth, while empowering women can accelerate development processes. More recent evidence showsthat reducing gender gaps in labor force participation and earnings significantly contributes to highereconomic growth and reduced income inequality (Gonzales et al. 2015). These findings reinforce theimportance of strengthening women’s rights and opportunities as a central strategy for inclusive andsustainable development. An essential measure of progress in gender equality is the evaluation of legislation and its actual impacton women's economic empowerment. TheWomen, Business, and the Law(WBL) index, developed bythe World Bank WBL team, serves as a comprehensive tool to assess how laws and regulations acrossdifferent countries influence women's opportunities and rights in the workforce. The WBL indexpositively correlates with women's economic outcomes (Hyland, Djankov, and Goldberg 2020). Forinstance, stronger legal frameworks a