Year-ender 2024 | More roadblocks than leaps: The state of women's rights across the globe

Nearly a century ago, English writer Virginia Woolf in her essay 'A Room of One's Own', argued that if William Shakespeare had a twin sister, equally talented and passionate, it would have been "impossible, completely and entirely" for her to reach her full potential due to the lack of a level playing field.

Fast forward to 2024, and the debate surrounding feminism still echoes similar themes to the Modernist era, even after decades of progress, with many of the same challenges and inequalities persisting in society.

As the year draws to a close, a look back at the status of women’s rights around the globe tells us tales of several forward leaps, while certain sections of society plunged even deeper into the abyss of inequality and repression. Overall, 2024 can be seen as a mixed bag for gender equality with more downs than ups.

Let’s have a look at the major developments this year that highlight both the strides and challenges faced by women.

France becomes first country to give abortion rights to women

A woman holds a placard reading "No uterus no opinion" as people gather to mark International Safe Abortion Day in Paris, France, September 28, 2024.

In March 2024, France became the world's first country to make women's free choice to request an abortion a constitutional right. The move, welcomed by most in the European country, did throw open the cracks among the far right groups that had chosen to remain silent on the issue.

The significance of the decision lies in the fact that in the recent years, other European countries and the US have set aside the rights relating to abortion. While Hungary and Poland have tightened their abortion laws, in 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision that had established a constitutional right to abortion.

Afghan women living the nightmare under Taliban rule

Afghan women's rights defenders and civil activists protest to call on the Taliban for the preservation of their achievements and education, in front of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Women in Afghanistan are staring at a bleak future since the take over of the country by Taliban insurgents. With new 'moral laws' being imposed every other day, their basic freedom and rights are being systematically stripped away.

Among several other restrictions, in 2024 Taliban banned women from speaking in public, including singing or reciting poetry in common spaces.

While high schools and universities to girls and women were already closed with restrictions on their movement without a male guardian, in December, nursing and midwifery courses--which were seen as one of the few ways left for women to continue their education and earn a living-- were also banned.

By the end of the year, an order was also issued banning the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas used by Afghan women saying that "seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts."

Strides and setbacks in political sphere

US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the Democratic National Committee's Holiday Reception at the Willard Hotel in Washington. 

Both the world's oldest and the largest democracies went to elections in 2024. While the US once again disapproved of a woman president, making Kamala Harris the second female presidential nominee to lose to Donald Trump, in India, the women representation in Lok Sabha saw a slight dip.

A total of 74 women won the Lok Sabha elections held in May this year against 78 elected in 2019.

With Donald Trump set to become the 47th president of the United States, women as well as LGBTQ groups are fearing threats to some of their rights.

Mexico and Namibia elected their first women presidents with Claudia Sheinbaum leading the North American country while Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah taking the reins of the South African nation.

R G Kar rape shocks India

Women protesters take the streets as part of the 'Reclaim the Night' march against the R G Kar  rape and murder incident.

After the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, India witnessed another wave of massive nationwide outrage following the R G Kar rape-murder case in August of this year.

The incident raised questions on workplace security of women and promoted thousands to hold rallies in Kolkata named 'Women, Reclaim the Night,’ in solidarity with the victim.

On August 9, the body of an on-duty woman doctor was found in the seminar hall of the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, following which junior doctors went on a 'cease-work' across West Bengal demanding justice for the victim. The CBI has submitted a charge-sheet against the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, while the matter is sub-judice.

Mass rape trial in France shakes public conscience

Gisele Pelicot, the victim of an alleged mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot.

Another rape case that stunned the public unfolded in France this year, as Dominique Pelicot was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The trial, which drew international attention, involved Pelicot drugging and recruiting several men to rape his wife over nearly a decade.

Alongside Pelicot, 50 co-defendants were convicted, receiving sentences ranging from three to 15 years. The case has sparked widespread outrage, reigniting conversations about sexual violence, justice, and the need for stronger protection for victims.

The victim, Gisele Pelicot was hailed as a hero for her courage and dignity throughout the three-month trial, as she waived her anonymity and took a public stand, showing immense strength in the face of such a harrowing ordeal.

Donald Trump, accused of at least 26 sexual abuse cases, set to become 47th US President

US President-elect Donald Trump.

Women in America have a lot more to bear with, than just the rhetoric of US President-elect Donald Trump—a man accused of at least 26 sexual abuse cases since the 1970s—is set to head the country from 2025.

The public allegations against Donald Trump include accusations of rape, non-consensual kissing and groping, as well as incidents of looking under women’s skirts and entering rooms with naked teenage pageant contestants.

In May this year, Trump became the first former US President to be convicted of felony crimes, while on December 30, a federal appeals court upheld a $5-million verdict that E. Jean Carroll won against Donald Trump when a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and later defaming the former magazine columnist.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Trump's argument that the trial judge should not have let jurors hear evidence about the Republican's alleged past sexual misconduct, making the trial and verdict unfair.