Women's rights weakened in a quarter of all countries, UN says

UN Women report highlights progress and challenges in global gender equality efforts, emphasizing urgent need for action.

Thirty years after world leaders adopted a historic blueprint to achieve gender equality, a new United Nations report says women's and girls' rights are under attack and gender discrimination remains deeply embedded in economies and societies.

The report released on Thursday (March 6, 2025) by the UN agency focused on women's rights and gender equality found that nearly one-quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash to women's rights last year.

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Despite some progress, including on girls' education and access to family planning, UN Women said a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or family member and that cases of conflict-related sexual violence have increased by 50% since 2022. The report, released ahead of International Women's Day on Saturday, also noted that only 87 countries have ever been led by a woman.

“Globally, women's human rights are under attack,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we're seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny.”

He said the world must stand firm “in making human rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere.”

The 189 countries that attended a 1995 Beijing women's conference adopted a landmark declaration and 150-page platform for action to achieve gender equality, calling for bold action in 12 areas, including combating poverty and gender-based violence and putting women at top levels in business, government and at peacemaking tables.