Has there ever been a better time to be a feminist? The question might seem strange at a time when women’s rights are arguably under their most serious threat in a generation.

Gains made over nearly a half century have been rolled back. In the US, president Donald Trump began his second term by abolishing federal policies on diversity, equity and inclusion. There are only two genders, he said in what amounted to a reversal of transgender rights. Gender studies are being excised from academic curricula; Texas A&M University has announced the end of its women’s and gender studies programme. And in Florida, schools are removing classes around gender identity.

Ongoing wars and conflicts have increased the vulnerability of women and girls. Rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, with reported cases of sexual violence rising by 87% in just two years, according to a new United Nations report.

In Iran,165 schoolgirls became collateral damage in the targeted February 28 bombing of a school by US-Israel forces, reports New York Times. Israel’s pulverisation of Gaza that began in October 2023 had by May 2025 claimed the lives of 28,000 women and children, according to the UN. In Sudan 11 million women and girls face dire food insecurity.

In 64 countries around the world, same-sex sexual acts are a criminal offense. In seven of these, including Brunei, Uganda and Yemen, they are punishable by death. Taking a cue from Russia which expanded a law in 2022 to ban the promotion of non-heterosexual relations, Hungary banned the Budapest Pride event.

Women hold just 64% of the legal rights of men, a March 2026 World Bank report finds. In practice the picture is bleaker with countries on average establishing less than 40% of the systems needed for full implementation. For instance, the reports states, in the 98 economies that have laws mandating equal pay for women, only 35 have adopted pay-transparency or enforcement mechanisms.

In 54% of the world’s countries, rape is still not defined on the basis of consent. France introduced the idea of consent into its rape laws only in October last year following the horrific rape trial of 52 men convicted of raping Gisele Pelicot.

“A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all,” UN Women executive director Sima Bahous said.

If it seems like we’re running in place, consider the newer threats of technology-facilitated violence. A new year flex by Grok, the AI arm of Elon Musk’s X, went on a digital stripping spree of real women and girls until global outrage and threat of legal action shut it down. Digital technology is widening the........

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