UN: Women's rights under unprecedented threat worldwide

This was announced by the United Nations Women's Organization, UN Women, on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March. The threats include a higher level of discrimination, weaker legal protection and less funding for programs and institutions that support and protect women.

Almost a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash in progress on women's rights last year. This goes hand in hand with a weakening of democratic institutions.

UN Women also published a report taking stock 30 years after the 1995 UN Women's Conference in Beijing with data from 159 countries. "Many countries have made progress on gender equality and women's empowerment, from banning discrimination in the workplace to adopting gender-responsive climate action plans," it says.

Nevertheless, gender discrimination is still entrenched in all economies and societies and chronically limits the rights and aspirations of women and girls.

Three quarters of all parliamentarians are men

The proportion of women in national parliaments has more than doubled since 1995. However, according to the report, almost three quarters of all members of parliament are still men. The maternal mortality rate worldwide fell by a third between 2000 and 2015, but has remained roughly the same since then.

Women still do two and a half times more unpaid care work than men and only have 64 percent of the rights enshrined in law. The number of cases of sexual violence in conflicts has risen by half since 2022 - 95% of the victims are women or girls.

In the report, the UN organization also presents a strategic plan for gender equality. This consists of six pillars: Access to technology and online safety, poverty reduction, an end to violence against women and girls, equal decision-making power, peace and security, and climate justice.