Purple banners rippled through the streets of Berlin, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Nairobi as thousands gathered to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. Some marched with children perched on their shoulders. Others carried photographs of women lost to gender-based violence. Many held placards calling for equal pay, justice and dignity.

Across continents, the message was unmistakable: the ongoing fight for gender equality—despite decades of progress—should fill us with hope and pride, motivating continued efforts.

In Latin America, enormous demonstrations demanded justice for victims of femicide. In Europe, rallies focused on the persistent gender pay gap and rising attacks on reproductive rights. In parts of Asia and Africa, activists highlighted the continuing barriers to girls’ education and women’s economic independence.

The marches were both celebratory and defiant. They honoured the generations of women whose struggles opened doors once firmly closed, while warning that those gains remain fragile.

The theme of this year’s observance—”Rights, Justice, Action: For All Women and Girls”—reminds us that recognition alone isn’t enough; societal and individual actions are essential for real change.

As veteran diplomat Anwarul K. Chowdhury reminds us, women’s equality and empowerment are not simply women’s issues.

“They are relevant for humanity as a whole—for all of us,” he says. “This crucial point needs to be internalised by every one of us.”

A Movement Born of Protest

International Women’s Day is a global movement that celebrates women’s achievements and highlights ongoing gender equality challenges, making it essential for all of us to understand its significance.

International Women’s Day has its roots in the turbulent social transformations of the early twentieth century.

Industrialisation had drawn millions of women into factories, yet they worked long hours for lower wages and had little political voice. In cities across Europe and North America, women workers began organising strikes and protests to demand dignity, fair pay, and the right to vote.

In 1910, German socialist activist Clara Zetkin proposed establishing an international day devoted to women’s rights at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen. Her proposal was unanimously adopted.

The following year, demonstrations involving more than a million women and men took place across Europe.

A decisive moment came in 1917, when women workers in Petrograd launched protests demanding “bread and peace.” Their actions helped spark the revolutionary upheavals that reshaped Russia and cemented March 8 as a symbol of women’s political power.

More than half a century later, the United Nations officially recognised International Women’s Day in 1975. Since then, the day has evolved into a global moment of reflection—an annual reminder of how far societies have come and how far they still must go.Subscribe

Progress—and Persistent Inequality

Measured against history, the progress achieved over the past century, such as women voting in almost every country and leading organisations, is truly remarkable and inspiring.

Women today vote in almost every country, hold public office, lead corporations, run universities and head international organisations. Educational opportunities have expanded dramatically. Millions of women have entered professions once closed to them.

Yet beneath these achievements lies a more complicated reality.

Economic inequality remains deeply entrenched. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), women globally earn around 20 per cent less than men on average.

The reasons are complex but persistent: discrimination, occupational segregation and unequal access to leadership positions.

Women are also disproportionately concentrated in lower-paid sectors such as care work, education and service industries. Many are employed in informal or precarious jobs lacking legal protections.

Another factor often overlooked in economic statistics is unpaid labour.

A new report finds that women face higher risks, as they are concentrated in tasks more prone to automation and remain underrepresented in technology and science fields.

A new research brief from the ILO warns that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is set to affect women’s jobs more than men’s, with female-dominated occupations almost twice as likely to be exposed to the technology.

The World Bank warns that despite advances in skills and education, women’s labour force participation has been stuck at 53 per cent since 1990.

“This isn’t just about fairness. When half the population is locked out, development stalls.”

The World Bank data shows that women perform about three-quarters of the world’s unpaid care and domestic work—from caring for children and elderly relatives to maintaining households.

This invisible labour sustains economies and communities, yet it rarely appears in national accounts.

The result is a double burden: many women combine paid employment with unpaid responsibilities that limit their opportunities for advancement.

Political Power Still Unequal

Political representation tells a similar story of progress tempered by persistent imbalance.

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women hold just over 26 per cent of seats in national parliaments worldwide. While this figure has doubled since the mid-1990s, it still falls far short of parity.

Only about one in five countries currently has a woman serving as head of state or head of government.

Cabinet representation has improved in some regions, but women still hold fewer key portfolios, such as finance, defence, or foreign affairs.

Yet evidence increasingly shows that when women participate in governance, policy priorities often shift.

Legislatures with higher female representation tend to invest more in education, healthcare and social welfare. They also adopt stronger legislation addressing gender-based violence and discrimination.

Representation, in other words, shapes outcomes.

The United Nations and an Unfinished Promise

Few institutions have championed gender equality more consistently than the United Nations.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995, remains the most comprehensive international framework for advancing women’s rights and inspiring global efforts toward gender equality.

Yet the United Nations itself embodies a striking contradiction.

In its eighty-year history, the organisation has never elected a woman as Secretary-General.

Nine men have held the position since 1945.

Chowdhury finds this reality deeply troubling.

“In its eighty years of existence, the United Nations has not yet elected a woman Secretary-General—eight decades, nine men, and not one woman,” he says.

“What an embarrassment—what a shame. How can an institution that speaks of equality at every podium continue to model inequality at its pinnacle?”

For him, the credibility of the UN’s advocacy depends on its willingness to reflect those principles in its own leadership.

A Moment of Opportunity

The coming selection process for the next Secretary-General offers an opportunity to address that imbalance.

For many diplomats and civil society advocates, the argument is simple: the world’s leading multilateral institution should reflect the diversity and equality it promotes.

Electing a woman to the position would not merely break a symbolic barrier. It would send a powerful message about the future of global leadership.

Representation at the highest level matters—because it not only shapes policies but also inspires individuals to believe in the possibility of change and their role in it.

Yet progress toward equality has never been linear.

The Shadow of Backlash

In recent years, observers have noted worrying signs of backlash in several parts of the world. Restrictions on reproductive rights, attacks on gender equality initiatives and hostility toward feminist activism have intensified in some countries.

Patriarchal attitudes remain deeply embedded in social structures.

“No country in the world has reached full legal equality for women and girls,” Chowdhury observes.

This sobering reality reminds us that rights once gained cannot be taken for granted.

Women, Peace and Security

Gender equality is not only a matter of justice. It is also central to peace and stability.

In 2000, the UN Security Council adopted the landmark Resolution 1325, which recognised the critical role of women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Chowdhury recalls that on 8 March 2000, while serving as President of the Security Council, he steered the pioneering statement that helped pave the way for the resolution’s adoption later that year.

The resolution launched what is now known as the Women, Peace and Security agenda, acknowledging that sustainable peace requires women’s participation at every level of decision-making.

Evidence increasingly supports this principle.

Peace agreements are more durable when women participate in negotiations. Societies that promote gender equality tend to experience stronger economic growth and greater political stability.

“Without peace, development is impossible,” Chowdhury says. “And without development, peace is not achievable. But without women, neither peace nor development is conceivable.”

Feminism as Inclusive Policy

Despite persistent stereotypes, feminism at its core advocates a simple principle: equality.

Chowdhury describes feminism not as an ideology but as practical governance.

“Feminism is about smart policy which is inclusive, uses all potential and leaves no one behind,” he says.

Empowering women expands the economic and creative capacity of societies. It strengthens democratic institutions and promotes social cohesion.

For that reason, he embraces the label without hesitation.

“I am proud to be a feminist,” he says. “All of us need to be.”

Rights, Justice and Action

The theme of International Women’s Day 2026—Rights, Justice, Action—reflects the next stage of the global equality movement.

Recognition of rights is essential, but it is only the beginning.

Justice requires that those rights be enforced and violations addressed. Action demands sustained commitment from governments, institutions and citizens alike.

Symbolic declarations alone cannot dismantle structural inequalities.

Real change requires policies that ensure equal pay, protect women from violence, expand educational opportunities and guarantee equal representation in leadership.

A Shared Responsibility

Gender equality ultimately depends not only on governments but on society as a whole.

Families, schools, workplaces and communities all shape the norms that define opportunity.

“Our individual actions, conversations and mindsets can transform our larger society,” Chowdhury says.

The transformation required is both institutional and cultural.

It calls for a world in which girls grow up knowing their ambitions are not constrained by gender—and where societies value the contributions of women as fully as those of men.

Renewing the Commitment

As International Women’s Day 2026 is observed worldwide, the celebrations carry both pride and urgency.

The past century has witnessed extraordinary change. Women have transformed politics, science, culture and diplomacy.

Yet the path toward equality remains unfinished.

International Women’s Day, therefore, stands not merely as a commemoration but as a call to renew the commitment to building a world in which women and girls enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities and equal dignity.

Because the future of peace, development and justice depends on it.

And as Chowdhury concludes: “Together we can make change happen.”

© Eurasia Review