Christine Lagarde says 'conspiracy' against women makes the world poorer

Managing director of the International Monetary Fund says too many countries still restrict the right of women to contribute to their economies

Nations should remove laws that prevent women from working in order to increase the female labour supply and boost their economies, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde has said.

"In too many countries, too many legal restrictions conspire against women to be economically active," Lagarde wrote in a blog. "In a world in search of growth, women will help find it, if they face a level playing field instead of an insidious conspiracy."