India, Feb. 24 -- World Bank says women's economic-opportunity laws are only half-enforced globally

Just 4% of women live in economies with nearly full legal equality

Safety from violence, childcare and access to credit remain major gaps

Report warns enforcement failures are holding back growth and job creation

Laws designed to ensure equal economic opportunities for women are only half-enforced on average across the world, according to a new report from the World Bank Group, highlighting what it calls "huge opportunity gaps" that are holding back growth.

The latest Women, Business and the Law report finds that even if laws were fully enforced, women would still enjoy barely two-thirds of the legal rights of men. Only 4% of women wor...