Barriers to women's economic participation persist in every region of the world. Nations need to do more to level the legal playing field for women and ensure that women have the right to compete fairly in the economy—which will lead to significant gains.

Given the strong evidence of the returns on women’s economic inclusion, this issue merits a higher place on the U.S. economic and foreign policy agenda. The Donald J. Trump administration should build on recent reforms to promote inclusive economies and launch an effort to address legal barriers to women’s economic participation; increase access to capital, especially among small- and medium-sized enterprises; catalyze investment in women; promote technology and innovation; and support research and data collection in this area.

Overview Recurrent and emerging armed conflicts, expanded terrorist and extremist networks, increased targeting of civilians, and record levels of mass displacement have defined global security in…