One In Four Countries Report Backlash Against Women’s Rights In 2024-New Report

UN Women’s latest report Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing, published ahead of the UN 50th International Women’s Day on 8 March, shows that in 2024, nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights.

Despite decades of advocacy, economic instability, the climate crisis, rising conflicts and political pushback have contributed to a worsening landscape for gender equality.

While 87 countries have been led by a woman at some point in history, true parity is still a long way off.

Alarmingly, UN Women reports that a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or intimate partner.

The digital space is also exacerbating gender disparities, the UN agency argues, with artificial intelligence and some social media platforms amplifying harmful stereotypes.

Meanwhile, women and girls remain underrepresented in digital and tech-related fields.

In the past decade, there has been a disturbing 50 percent increase in the number of women and girls directly exposed to conflict, and women’s rights defenders confront daily harassment, personal attacks and even death, UN Women said.

These findings underscore that crises such as COVID-19, soaring food and fuel prices, and the undermining of democratic institutions are not just slowing progress – but actively reversing gains.

“When women and girls can rise, we all thrive,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the day. Yet, “instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we are seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny.”

“Together, we must stand firm in making human rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere,” he emphasised.

UN News