The world won’t achieve gender equality by 2030, says new report

A new report from Equal Measures 2030 and the Alliance for Feminist Movements uncovers the trends accelerating or stalling progress on gender equality around the world. 

According to the report, global gender equity will not be achieved by 2030—the goal that the United Nations set out to achieve a little over a decade ago. If current trends continue, the earliest projected year to reach women’s equality is 2108. However, more than half of the countries moved in the right direction between 2015 and 2020. The report indicates that the world could reach gender parity as soon as 2049 if all countries follow the pace set by the 15 countries with the fastest-improving scores.

The countries that improved the most between 2015 and 2020 included Benin, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Nepal, Egypt, Moldova, Tajikistan, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, and Cambodia.

The countries that declined the most between 2015 and 2020 included Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mauritania, Venezuela, Kuwait, Algeria, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

In 2020, five countries had zero women in senior government or ministerial roles: Armenia, Thailand, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, and Saudi Arabia.

The report underscored evidence that grassroots feminist movements have played a crucial role in driving towards gender equality globally. Yet, it also revealed that aid to women’s rights organizations and movements dropped by over 20 percent between 2018-19 and 2021-22. 

“This report sheds light on alarming trends of stagnation and regression in global gender equality efforts while exploring what the future could hold for gender equality based on the decisions we make today,” Amanda Austin, Head of Global Engagement at Equal Measures 2030, told More to Her Story. “One of the best decisions we can make is to invest more and better in feminist movements, and our report showcases 5 stories from Argentina, Canada, Malawi, Nepal, and Uruguay, where feminist movements have helped to drive powerful change, even in the face of limited funds and growing backlash,”

Equal Measures 2030 is a coalition of national, regional, and global leaders from feminist networks, civil society, international development, and the private sector. Their flagship SDG Gender Index is the most comprehensive tool available to measure gender equality across the UN Global Goals.