By Prosper Mene
The United Nations has sounded a warning alarm on the persistent global gender inequality in legal rights, revealing that women worldwide hold only 64% of the legal rights enjoyed by men. This sobering statistic, highlighted ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026, signals a “justice gap” that continues to expose women and girls to discrimination, violence, and exclusion across nearly every aspect of life.
According to a new report by the UN Secretary-General titled “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls”, no country in the world has achieved full legal equality between men and women. The findings, released by UN Women, point to systemic failures in justice systems that are meant to protect rights and uphold the rule of law.
Key revelations from the report include:
In 54% of countries, rape is not defined based on consent, meaning many instances of sexual violence may not be legally recognized as crimes.
Child marriage remains legally permitted in nearly three-quarters (about 75%) of countries.
In 44% of countries, laws do not mandate equal pay for equal work, allowing women to be legally paid less than men for the same roles.
These discriminatory laws affect fundamental areas such as work, property ownership, mobility, family rights, safety, and economic participation. UN Secretary-General Antรณnio Guterres emphasized, โWhen we are not equal under the law, we are not equal,โ urging immediate action to make justice a reality for women and girls everywhere.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous called for urgent reforms, noting that while progress has been made, such as domestic violence legislation in 87% of countries and strengthened constitutional protections in over 40 nations over the past decade, overall rights are regressing in many places amid rising conflicts and weakening rule of law.
At the current pace of change, closing legal protection gaps could take 286 years, according to UN estimates. Advocates stress that true equality requires not just laws on paper but robust enforcement, cultural shifts, and accountability to ensure women and girls can live safely, speak freely, and participate equally in society.
