Gender equality woefully off track, new UN report reveals

A new UN report warns that at the current pace, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, as institutions designed to advance progress face defunding and dismantling. The Gender Snapshot 2026 reveals that none of the Sustainable Development Goal 5 targets—including ending discrimination, gender-based violence, and harmful practices—are on track to be met by the 2030 deadline. Persistent systemic barriers, such as exorbitant campaign costs and widespread violence against women in public life, continue to exclude women from political leadership roles. The report highlights that six in seven countries are led by men, underscoring the severe underrepresentation of women in decision-making positions globally.

The report underscores that even when women enter government, they are disproportionately excluded from key portfolios like defence and finance, where men hold nearly nine in 10 and over eight in 10 positions respectively. Beyond politics, women represent only six per cent of global CEOs and lead fewer than 20 per cent of the highest courts, concentrating economic and legal power in the hands of men. The imbalance is described as undermining democracy, as half the population lacks an equal voice in shaping policies that affect their lives. Severe forms of violence and discrimination persist, with nearly one in five girls married before 18 and an estimated 230 million women and girls survivors of female genital mutilation.

Nearly one in three women globally have experienced partner or sexual violence, and 316 million women faced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the past year alone. The report finds no country has achieved full legal equality, with 51 per cent of 131 studied countries still exhibiting significant legal gaps. Nearly two-thirds of countries offer little or no legal protection for women’s land rights, and fewer than 30 per cent ensure joint land registration or women’s participation in land governance, creating barriers to economic security.

Funding for gender equality programs has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, as development aid cuts disproportionately target initiatives addressing inequality. One in four institutional mechanisms for gender equality have had their budgets slashed, and one in three have seen their authority weakened over the past two years. Among UN entities, 42 per cent report a decline in their gender equality efforts due to reduced resources. The report emphasizes that the lack of progress is not inevitable but the result of policy choices, urging investment in gender equality and accountability systems to restore the promise of equal power for all.