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March 10, 2026
Although the global gender gap index is the best in history this year, the reality of women’s rights looks very different. As many as one in four countries report a decline in women’s rights, according to analyses conducted ahead of International Women’s Day 2026.
For years, the World Economic Forum has measured gender disparities in 148 countries across four key areas: the economy (employment and pay), education, health and political power. Based on this data, it calculates the Global Gender Gap Index, which this year stands at 68.6 percent.
If you look only at the numbers, this means that humanity is currently closer to full gender equality than at any point in history. However, the index also delivers a sobering message: if progress continues at the current pace, full gender equality will not be achieved for another 123 years.
The countries closest to this ideal vision are Iceland, Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden. But what about the rest of the world?
In recent years, the term “backlash against women’s rights” has increasingly appeared in analyses by international organizations, sociologists and political institutes. The term refers to political, social or cultural resistance to advances in gender equality, as well as attempts to restrict rights that women have already gained.
Research shows that such reactions are not unusual and often emerge precisely after periods of social progress.
Unfortunately, according to multiple global analyses, something sociologists describe as a backlash is currently taking place. In essence, women’s rights are declining in about a quarter of the world’s countries.
Afghanistan, where rigid Taliban laws are in force, is often the first example that comes to mind. However, it is only one among many.
Here is what global data reveal about women’s rights today:
The United Nations estimates that by 2030, 351 million women may still be living in extreme poverty if current trends continue.
The World Bank warns that fewer than 5 percent of women live in countries with real gender equality. When the global gender gap index is examined in practical terms — through the enforcement of laws and implementation of policies — it drops to 53 percent, and if systemic support for women is included, it falls to 47 percent.
Women in the European Union need 15.5 months to earn what men in the same positions earn in one year.
One in three women in the EU has experienced some form of psychological, physical or sexual violence.
Among Generation Z, the number of young men who believe that a wife should obey her husband is rising. About one third of young men in the UK, the United States, Australia, Iceland and India share this view.
Women occupy only 27 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide, meaning that roughly three quarters of political power remains in men’s hands.
Less than 30 percent of scientists globally are women.
Women still perform 75 percent of unpaid household work.
In 90 countries, laws still limit women’s economic independence.
When we talk about the weakening of women’s rights, we often think of countries governed by extremist regimes. However, the map of regression extends well into the developed world.
In 2025 the Taliban regime introduced additional restrictions on women’s rights, including:
banning women from secondary and university education
banning women from most professions
prohibiting women from entering parks, gyms and many public spaces
removing books written by women from university curricula
banning courses on human rights and sexual harassment
prohibiting women from traveling without a male guardian
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Taliban leaders for the systematic persecution of women.
For more than a year, Iran has enforced the Hijab and Chastity Law, with increasingly strict penalties. These include:
heavy fines
prison sentences
flogging
bans from employment
digital surveillance and reporting of women who do not wear the hijab
Penalties can reach tens of thousands of dollars and several years in prison.
El Salvador already has one of the strictest abortion bans in the world, but the situation worsened further in 2025:
women who suffer miscarriages are sometimes prosecuted for murder
sentences can reach 30–40 years in prison
doctors face pressure to report patients
Activists warn that the persecution of women is once again increasing.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, more U.S. states have moved to ban abortion. Additional developments include:
reduced funding for international reproductive health programs
reduced support for global family planning initiatives
These changes affect global women’s health programs as well.
In Turkey, abortion remains legal up to the 10th week of pregnancy, but in practice married women are increasingly required to obtain their husband’s consent. This effectively limits women’s autonomy over their own bodies.
In Latvia, political parties attempted to withdraw the country from the Istanbul Convention, the main European treaty aimed at combating violence against women. The proposal was temporarily halted following public protests.
One of the key factors behind the rise of backlash is economic insecurity. Numerous studies show that resistance to gender equality tends to grow in societies where large segments of the population experience economic uncertainty, job loss or declining living standards.
When people feel they are losing social or economic status, they are more likely to accept narratives claiming that social change has gone too far. This connection is highlighted in analyses from reports such as Global Gender Gap Report (World Economic Forum, 2025) and Gender Equality and the Crisis of Democracy (International IDEA, 2023–2024).
Another strategy researchers emphasize is the involvement of men in gender equality initiatives. Earlier programs often focused almost exclusively on empowering women, while men remained outside these policies.
However, newer research shows that engaging men and boys is crucial for long-term change. Studies such as State of the World’s Fathers (Equimundo and Promundo, 2023) and The Man Box Study show that resistance to gender equality decreases when men participate in programs that promote partnership, shared caregiving and healthier models of masculinity.
A third important factor in preventing backlash is addressing disinformation. In the digital environment, narratives increasingly spread claiming that women have already achieved full equality or that men have become the discriminated group.
Reports such as Gender Snapshot (UN Women, 2024–2025) and Online Misogyny and Gendered Disinformation (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2024) warn that misinformation about gender equality has become an important tool of political mobilization.
For this reason, international organizations emphasize the importance of media literacy, transparent data and rapid responses to manipulation in public discourse.
Research also shows that backlash is weaker in societies with strong work–life balance policies. When women gain rights in the labor market but are still expected to carry most of the family care responsibilities, social tension often increases.
Many studies therefore recommend policies such as:
parental leave for both parents
accessible childcare systems
flexible working arrangements
These recommendations appear in reports such as Women, Business and the Law (World Bank, 2024) and The Care Economy and Gender Equality (International Labour Organization, 2023).
Women’s political representation also plays an important role. Countries with higher numbers of women in parliaments and governments tend to have more stable gender equality policies and are less likely to reverse laws protecting women’s rights.
This conclusion appears in several international analyses, including Women in Politics (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2025) and Women’s Political Representation and Policy Outcomes (UN Women).
Finally, experts emphasize that education among younger generations is one of the most important long-term factors in preventing backlash.
In recent years, sociologists have observed a growing ideological divide between young men and women in some societies. This phenomenon is analyzed in studies such as Gender Equality Attitudes Study (Pew Research Center, 2023–2024) and the Global Gender Social Norms Index (UNDP, 2023).
These studies conclude that education about gender equality, open dialogue and working with young people can significantly reduce social tensions and prevent the radicalization of attitudes.
Photo: Pexels.com
