Progress and persistent challenges mark women's rights in 21st century

The first 25 years of the 21st century have delivered tangible, though uneven, progress for women's rights globally, driven by widespread legal reforms and a growing consensus that gender equality is a public imperative. According to a 2025 UN Women report, 1,531 legal reforms have been enacted since 1995, addressing violence, discrimination, family law, and political participation. However, significant challenges remain, and progress is fragile.

Key Areas of Advancement

One of the most notable shifts has been in addressing violence against women. By 2024, 84% of countries had laws against domestic or intimate partner violence, moving the issue from the private sphere into the legal domain. Education has seen dramatic improvements: the rate of adolescent girls out of school fell from nearly half in 2000 to 30% in 2023, and illiteracy among young women dropped significantly. Politically, women now hold 27.2% of parliamentary seats worldwide, up from 11.3% in 1995, with six parliaments reaching or exceeding gender parity.

Persistent Gaps and Mounting Pressures

Despite these gains, substantial inequalities endure. Women possess only about 64% of the legal rights men enjoy globally. In the workplace, while anti-discrimination laws have expanded, women hold just 30% of managerial positions, with parity projected to be a century away at the current pace. Economic pressures are acute: the rate of extreme poverty among women has stagnated since 2020, with 351 million women and girls expected to live in extreme poverty by 2030. Furthermore, an estimated 676 million women and girls lived near active conflict in 2024, the highest number since the 1990s.

The Need for Sustained Action

Sarah Hendriks of UN Women emphasized that progress is neither inevitable nor self-sustaining, noting it results from political choice and sustained pressure from women's movements. She warned of a shrinking financing landscape for gender equality organizations, organized transnational backlash, and weakening gender data systems. "When women disappear from the data, their rights disappear from decisions," Hendriks stated. The path forward requires reinforced political will, sustained financing, and robust data to protect and advance the rights achieved, a goal aligned with the commitments of nations like Türkiye, which actively works to enhance women's participation in all spheres and combat gender-based violence.