Written by Mary Wandia
Does representation matter in who leads the justice systems and economic choices that shape our lives?
Yes, but only when it translates to real influence.
At Co-Impact, we believe representation matters because leadership shapes how rights are protected, how policies are designed, and how resources are allocated. Law and economics play an outsized role in shaping these systems. Yet they remain fields where women’s leadership has historically been underrepresented, constrained, or undervalued.
That is why we commissioned a four-part body of work across Kenya and Nigeria to better understand women’s leadership journeys in these fields. The goal was simple: listen to women navigating these systems today and learn what their lived experiences reveal about where progress is happening and where institutions still fall short.
Three themes stand out.
1. Progress is visible, but lived experience reveals where institutions fail
Women are present. They are entering the legal profession, studying economics, contributing to research, policy, finance, and governance. In some contexts, women are leading institutions and shaping national conversations.
But lived experience tells a more complex story. Across courtrooms, universities, ministries, banks, and civil society organisations, women described how barriers accumulate. Institutional rules and informal practices intersect with social expectations around gender and care, unequal access to networks and visibility, and repeated signals about who belongs in leadership.
The result is a leaky leadership pipeline. Institutional ways of working are losing ambitious, talented women along the way because their presence does not always translate into influence, authority, or staying power.
2. Women’s leadership improves outcomes for everyone
Women’s leadership is not just about equity, it drives better outcomes across all systems. When women lead, policies become more inclusive, services improve, and entire communities benefit as institutions become more responsive to those who have been historically marginalized.
Investing in women’s leadership in law and economics is therefore not separate from systems change, it is a pathway to it. Including women’s perspectives strengthens justice systems, improves economic decision-making, and helps institutions work better for everyone.
3. Change requires collective, sustained action
Across countries and disciplines, one message was clear: women do not advance into leadership in isolation.
Progress happens when individuals, institutions, and funders move together. Women pointed to the enabling conditions that made a difference: mentorship that included active advocacy, institutional practices that recognize care responsibilities as normal, early exposure to leadership, and strong peer networks that open doors.
These conditions do not emerge by chance. They require coordination, long-term commitment, and resourcing. Funders play a critical role in strengthening leadership pipelines, supporting institutional reform, and backing organisations doing the work of transforming institutions.
We are deeply grateful to the authors, to the women who shared their experiences, and to the partners across Kenya and Nigeria advancing women’s leadership every day. This work sits within Co-Impact’s broader women in leadership portfolio, supported through the long-term partnership of the Gates Foundation.
We invite you to read, reflect, and act for inclusive institutions where women, too, thrive in leadership.