UN Report: Women Globally Have Only 64% Of Men’s Legal Rights

Women around the world still enjoy fewer legal rights than men, according to a new United Nations (UN) report released to mark International Women’s Day.

The report, titled Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls, found that women hold only 64 per cent of the legal rights available to men globally. The gap, it said, continues to expose millions of women and girls to discrimination, violence and exclusion.

“The reality is stark. In more than half of the world’s countries, rape laws are not based on consent,” the report reads.

“Nearly three out of four nations still legally allow girls to be forced into marriage, cutting short childhoods, education and the future.

“44 per cent of countries do not have laws that guarantee equal pay for work of equal value.

“About 54 per cent of countries lack a consent-based definition of rape.”

The report said legal barriers remain widespread. In many countries, women struggle to own property, initiate divorce, pass citizenship to their children or even work and move freely without their husband’s approval.

Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, warned that denying women justice carries wider consequences for society.

“Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened. A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all,” Bahous said.

The report, however, noted some progress in recent years. Around 87 per cent of countries now have laws against domestic violence, while more than 40 nations have strengthened constitutional protections for women and girls over the past decade.

Still, the UN stressed that passing laws does not automatically guarantee justice.

“Survivors often face stigma, fear, financial barriers and a lack of trust in institutions meant to protect them,” the report says.

“As a result, justice remains out of reach for far too many.”

The findings also highlight emerging challenges. In some countries, rights previously secured by women are being rolled back. New threats, including online abuse, are also on the rise.

Access to justice is often almost non-existent for the 676 million women and girls living within 50 kilometres of active conflict zones, the report noted.

“Rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, with reported cases of sexual violence rising by 87 per cent in just two years,” the report says.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said advancing women’s rights remains essential to building fairer societies.

“Women’s rights are human rights and investing in women and girls is one of the surest ways to make the world a better place,” he said.

International Women’s Day should serve not only as a time for reflection but also as a push for action.

“When women are not equal under the law, equality does not truly exist,” Guterres said.

“Ensuring justice for all women and girls is essential for building fairer, stronger societies everywhere. Now is the time to act.”

Guterres also urged stronger support for UN Women and women’s movements worldwide to ensure that legal rights translate into real protection for every woman and girl.

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