They carry the world, yet still struggle to find their place in it. In hospitals, schools, and homes, women continue to shoulder the majority of responsibilities, without enjoying the same rights or opportunities as their male counterparts. Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, gender equality remains a distant goal. New data released this week shows that global progress in closing the gender gap remains slow and uneven. While disparities are narrowing in some areas, equality—far from being achieved—is advancing in small steps, and in some cases, being actively undermined by discriminatory laws and harmful practices.
These disappointing findings come from a study released Monday by the United Nations, marking the opening of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at UN headquarters in New York.
This two-week event serves as a milestone to track progress on the 2030 Agenda—a global plan adopted by countries in 2015 to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and protect the planet. A decade in, and just five years from the deadline, the outlook is troubling.
“Let’s be clear,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Monday as the annual progress report was released. “We are not where we should be.”
Gender Equality Lagging Behind
Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015, just over one-third are on track to be met.
Goal 5, which focuses specifically on gender equality, is among those progressing the slowest. According to the study, 40% of its targets show moderate progress, while the remaining 60% show only minimal improvements.
Bob Rae, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)—the body behind the political forum—did not hide his frustration. “Not a single target under Goal 5 has been fully achieved,” he stated on Tuesday, during the second day of the event, which focused on accelerating women’s empowerment.
He acknowledged, however, that the current context is far from favorable, due to the multiplication of conflicts, the fragility of the global economy, and the accelerating climate crisis. “These challenges are putting real pressure on our ability to deliver on the promises of the 2030 Agenda,” he said during a press conference. “But now is the time for bold action and renewed commitment.”
Although none of Goal 5’s targets have regressed or stalled—unlike many other SDGs—the progress made remains far below what is needed to meet the deadline.
Inequitable Laws
Since 2019, nearly 100 legal reforms have been adopted worldwide to advance women’s rights. However, among the 131 countries analyzed this year, more than half still have gaps in all assessed areas: equality before the law, protection against violence, access to employment, and family autonomy.
In over 60 countries, laws still restrict women’s access to certain professions. Only one in three nations sets the legal minimum age for marriage at 18 without exceptions. And more than half of national legal systems do not define rape based on lack of consent—a key standard in international human rights treaties.
Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation
Today, one in five young women worldwide was married before the age of 18. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one-third of girls are affected, and projections indicate that the number of child marriages in the region will continue to rise by 2030.
As for female genital mutilation (FGM), 230 million girls and women around the world live with the devastating consequences, both medically and psychologically. Every year, 4 million new FGM cases are recorded, often before the age of five. To eliminate the practice globally within five years, progress would need to accelerate at 27 times the pace of the last decade.
Unpaid Care Work and Lack of Representation
Not all barriers are written into law. Across the world, women take on the vast majority of unpaid care work—an essential yet invisible burden. On average, women devote 2.5 times more time than men to unpaid domestic labor, with the gap rising to fourfold in North Africa and Western Asia. This imbalance limits women’s access to jobs, education, and political life.
While women’s representation in parliaments is slowly improving—now exceeding 27% globally—the wave of elections in 2024, which saw parliamentary renewal in about 60 countries, did not bring a major shift.
In local governments and the private sector alike, fewer than one-third of leadership positions are held by women. At this rate, gender parity will not be reached until the next century.
Autonomy and Digital Access
Globally, only 56% of married or partnered women say they can freely make decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health. In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, this rate drops to 36%.
Additionally, 800 million women still do not own a mobile phone—a crucial tool for accessing information, education, jobs, financial services, and protection.
A Call for Urgent Action
What this data reveals is not the absence of progress—but the slowness and insufficiency of the efforts made so far. With just five years remaining, the margin for error is shrinking. Equality will not be achieved passively. It demands reform, investment, and political will capable of confronting deeply rooted social norms.
“We are facing a global development emergency,” António Guterres warned during the report presentation, before issuing this call to action:
“This means… investing in women and girls as a central driver of development.”
Thirty years after the Beijing Conference, where 189 countries pledged to promote gender equality in health, education, employment, and politics, the reality still points to partial commitment. The action plan adopted at the time—widely seen as a historic milestone for institutional feminism—has yet to fully materialize.
Source : NATIONS Info