Women’s Power Is Being Cut Back: UN Warns Gender Equality Remains 171 Years Away

One in three institutional mechanisms for gender equality has lost some of its institutional power over the past two years, and around one in four has experienced a cut in its operating budget.

The institutions meant to protect women's rights are losing money and influence, putting progress on education, poverty, peace and climate action at risk, according to the Gender Snapshot 2026 report from UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Its findings describe a widening gap between the benefits of women sharing power and the political decisions that continue to keep that power out of their reach.

The report presents a sobering picture of the distance still to travel: not a single indicator under Sustainable Development Goal 5, which focuses on gender equality, is on track for 2030. UN DESA chief Li Junhua said gender equality remains 171 years away at current rates, describing the slow progress as the result of choices that governments can change through investment in institutions, equality and reliable data.

Institutions Lose the Strength to Defend Women's Rights

One in three institutional mechanisms for gender equality has lost some of its institutional power over the past two years, and around one in four has experienced a cut in its operating budget. Nearly one in 10 has lost control of its budget altogether, raising concerns about how effectively these bodies can carry out their responsibilities when their authority and financial independence are shrinking.

Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, with women's rights organisations facing the greatest impact, according to the report. The pressure reaches into the United Nations itself, where 42 per cent of entities report that funding cuts have weakened their gender equality efforts. These losses come as decades of political and legal gains are being challenged and, in some cases, dismantled, leaving the organisations responsible for defending those gains with fewer resources to respond.

The Price of Entering Politics Keeps Women Out

Men lead six in seven countries, and women seeking public office face barriers that begin well before voters reach the ballot box. The cost of an election campaign can exceed 100 times a country's average income per person, putting candidacy beyond the reach of many women, and in some countries as many as eight in 10 women running for office experience violence in public life.

Reaching a cabinet position does not guarantee an equal share of influence over the decisions that shape national priorities. Close to nine in 10 defence ministers and more than eight in 10 finance ministers are men, reflecting women's continued exclusion from portfolios with considerable security and economic authority. UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said women's leadership strengthens societies and economic resilience, stressing that equality depends on access to real decision-making power.

The imbalance extends into businesses and courts, where decisions affect jobs, livelihoods and access to justice. Women hold just six per cent of chief executive officer positions globally and lead fewer than 20 per cent of the highest courts, figures that show how limited their representation remains across several of the institutions shaping everyday life.

A Test of Who Gets to Shape the Future

The report arrives as world leaders gather for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and the United Nations moves towards choosing its tenth Secretary-General. No woman has held the position in the organisation's 80-year history, making the selection a significant backdrop to discussions about whose voices carry authority in international affairs and how global institutions should change.

UN Women and UN DESA are calling on governments to reverse the retreat from gender equality by giving women an equal voice in political and economic decisions, properly funding equality institutions and protecting women's rights organisations and civic space. Their message reaches beyond representation alone: women and girls need meaningful influence over the choices affecting economies, peace and security, technology and public life, with institutions strong enough to make that influence count.