International Women’s Day 2025: An Urgent Call to Action
Each year on March 8th, we gather to celebrate women and advocate for gender equality. Fernanda Gándara takes International Women’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on the status of women around the world and identify actions to accelerate progress towards a more gender equal life.
A stark reality
Let me be clear: we are far from achieving gender equality. Not only are we falling short of the 2030 targets set in the Sustainable Development Agenda, but at the current pace, gender equality will not be achieved within this century. Some projections suggest that gender equality may even reverse in the years to come. Please let this fact sink in for a moment. If current trends persist, most of us will never experience a gender equal world.
Moreover, we are witnessing alarming setbacks in funding and support for girls and women. Governments are shifting priorities from development to defense, from global aid to domestic affairs. Such shifts are dramatically impacting the ability to support women in low-income countries. For example, the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) means dramatically less funding for sexual and reproductive health and gender equality programs in these countries. Every week, another million women and girls will be unable to access contraceptive treatments that were previously supported by the Agency. Unwanted pregnancies and child-birth complications are likely to rise rapidly. The United Kingdom’s aid cuts will likely enhance this outcome, further endangering the lives of pregnant women in low-income countries. And the Netherlands is also cutting aid to civil society organizations helping women and trying to advance gender equality. Cutting aid and financial support for women, especially in vulnerable contexts, is the opposite of what we should be doing.
Similar trends are observed domestically for countries in the Global North and South. For example, the United States government is implementing drastic federal cuts that are likely to negatively impact women and girls. If the United States’ Department of Education shuts down, then policies that were targeting girls and women – such as supporting women in paving their way into STEM careers – will collapse. In terms of reproductive rights, several States are pushing for stricter anti-abortion provisions, which mostly affect female adults, youth and children. In Canada, women’s organizations have recently expressed concern for the end of funding legal support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime continues to repress the rights and freedoms of women – from accessing education to speaking in public; more recently, the Taliban, in addition to banning post-primary education, also banned medical education for women. In Iraq, they may allow marriage for girls as young as nine years old, an utter violation of girls’ rights. The list could go on. It is 2025, and we are still failing girls and women around the world.
An urgent call for action
Recent events and trends should remind us of the fragility of the achievements that women have conquered. Despite all the effort that it takes to move the needle forward, it takes one bad executive order, one shift in financial priorities, one restrictive regulation, to potentially reverse course. We need to pay attention to the anti-gender movement that is taking over the mainstream narrative, and we need to advocate louder for the rights of girls and women. As hard as it sometimes feels, now is not the time to take a break.
Today, as you celebrate #IWD2025, think for a second of the risks that women before you took for all of us to enjoy the rights and freedoms that we have: the right to vote, the freedom to advocate for laws and policies that prevent gender discrimination, the liberty of choosing a life of our own. Think of how difficult it must have been for those women – and their allies – to convince people back then that these changes were worth the effort and attention. How discouraging it must have felt to ‘sail against the current’, even against fellow women. But these people were resilient because they understood what was at stake. And that is exactly what we must do for the girls and women being left behind at this very moment. We need to protect each other and continue working towards expanding women’s rights.
There is so much we can do. As activists, we must raise awareness and hold those in power accountable. Now more than ever, we need to stay engaged: feminism is indeed for everyone. Numerous organizations and groups advocate for women’s rights, locally and globally – we should follow them, support their work, and amplify their voices. As researchers, we must strengthen our efforts to document girls’ and women’s realities; prioritize feminist methodologies, which are centered around women, their intersecting identities, and their ways of knowing. Women’s lived experiences should guide the actions we propose and/or take. Those who collect large-scale data must prioritize tracking gender outcomes whenever possible, ensuring that we do everything we can to understand how these macro-level changes are affecting gender gaps. Gender data is already severely underfunded, despite the critical role that gender monitoring plays in advancing the rights and lives of women. Do not let anyone erase women’s voices and experiences, because silencing women enables further abuse and deepens their vulnerability.
Many organizations continue to fight for girls’ education, combat human trafficking, promote women’s health and reproductive rights, provide legal support to survivors of gender-based violence, and advocate for gender equality. Some organizations are working to empower women to start businesses and achieve financial independence. Other groups are holding governments accountable for their inability or unwillingness to meet gender equality goals. Find these organizations, connect with them, support them, and join their movements. And do it proudly, because without gender equality, every other investment in development, education and/or in sustainability is sub-optimal, and in some cases, completely wasted. For example, in education, for all the emphasis on foundational learning, there should be an equal focus on gender equality, so that everyone can use their knowledge and skills to improve their lives. And so forth.
A brighter future is possible
I do envision a better world, one where girls’ rights are sacred. A world where no girl is forced into early marriage, where violence against girls is unthinkable, where household chores are not solely their burden, and where they have the power to make their own decisions. A world where we are safe to move, free to dream, and where we can reach heights beyond our imagination. I want to live in a world where women are empowered to lead, at home and in their communities, and where all people have the opportunity to build a meaningful life. A joyful world where being a woman is a strength, and no one is held back because of their gender.
And you know what? That future is ours to create.
The Author:
Fernanda Gándara is RM&E Director, Global Girls’ Education & Gender Equality.