NAN
Nigeria has recorded a stunning zero score in supportive parenthood policies, exposing deep cracks in the country’s gender equality framework despite existing legislation, according to the latest global assessment by the World Bank Group.
Findings from the 2026 Women, Business and the Law report show the country earned 0 out of 100 in policies designed to help working parents, one of the most critical factors for women’s participation in the workforce.
The report paints a stark contrast: Nigeria scored 50 out of 100 for legal frameworks promoting gender equality, but plunged to 21.7 out of 100 when implementation, budgets and institutional enforcement were examined.
Advocacy Lead at Gatefield, Mrs Shirley Ewang, who disclosed the findings in Abuja, said the figures prove Nigeria’s progress exists mostly on paper.
“Our legal progress is being severely undermined by lack of institutional support reflected in the zero score on parenthood policies,” she said.
“To scale women in business, management and public service, we must urgently bridge this implementation gap.”
The report found Nigeria lacks federal laws guaranteeing:
Minimum 14-week paid maternity leave
Paid paternity leave
Legal protection against dismissal of pregnant workers
Government-backed childcare systems
Tax incentives or childcare subsidies for families
Without these safeguards, women struggle to remain in the workforce after childbirth, significantly weakening labour participation and economic growth.
Globally, the situation is also uneven, only four per cent of women live in economies with near-full legal equality, even though the average country scored 67 out of 100 on women’s economic participation laws.
The assessment further highlighted restrictive provisions in Nigeria’s Labour Act that limit women’s participation in certain industrial and night-shift jobs.
The absence of explicit equal-pay guarantees also sustains wage disparities.
Regional differences are pronounced.
Lagos and Oyo lead in legal protections, including specialised family courts and support services.
Some Northern States, including Bauchi and Kano, scored as low as 25 out of 100 on marital and inheritance rights affecting women.
Even after the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, enforcement remains weak due to underfunded support systems.
Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, Indermit Gill, said the global pattern shows a dangerous divide between legislation and real impact.
“On paper, most countries are doing reasonably well. But when it comes to enforcing the laws, the average score drops significantly. These numbers reflect huge opportunity gaps.”
Ewang warned that failure to act could cost Nigeria economically, especially as millions of young people half of them girls enter the labour market in the coming decade.
She called for urgent reforms including:
16-week fully paid maternity leave
14-day paid paternity leave
National childcare infrastructure
Analysts said unless Nigeria moves from legislation to enforcement, gender equality will remain symbolic and the economy will lose the productivity of half its workforce.
