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World Bank: Most restrictions on women’s employment in Azerbaijan lifted

04 March 2026 13:32 (UTC +04:00)

Legislation on women’s economic activity in Azerbaijan is relatively strong, but the institutions and mechanisms ensuring the implementation of these rights remain weaker, APA-Economics reports, citing the World Bank’s “Women, Business and the Law 2026” report.

According to the report, the legal framework index measuring women’s economic rights in Azerbaijan stood at 72.18 points. This indicator shows that the laws regulating women’s ability to work, start businesses and access economic activities are at a relatively good level.

At the same time, the index for supportive frameworks was 47.58 points. This indicates that institutions, programs and policies that help women exercise their rights in practice are not sufficiently developed.

The assessment of law enforcement stood at 59.12 points, showing that laws are only partially implemented in practice.

The report notes that, as in many countries, a gap remains in Azerbaijan between legislation and its real implementation. In other words, while the laws allow women to engage in economic activity, institutional and social mechanisms for their effective enforcement are not fully developed.

The document also emphasizes that in recent years certain reforms have been carried out in Azerbaijan to expand women’s access to the labor market. Within this framework, most of the restrictions on women working in 674 professions have been lifted, and the list of prohibited professions has been reduced to 204.

Note that the World Bank’s report evaluates women’s economic opportunities across 10 areas, including safety, employment, pay, entrepreneurship, marriage, parenthood, childcare, assets and pension rights. The report covers 190 countries and shows that the gap between legislation and practical implementation remains at the global level.