Brussels, 8 March 2026
On International Women’s Day, leaders across Europe celebrate the progress women have made over the past decades. And there is progress worth recognising. Women’s rights are increasingly recognised as fundamental to democracy, economic prosperity and social justice. Citizens are mobilising. Governments are making commitments. But progress, while real, remains fragile, and far too many women in Europe are still waiting for equality to become a reality.
The most stark reminder of this unfinished work is violence against women. Across Europe, millions of women experience physical, sexual or psychological violence in their lifetimes. According to the latest EU-wide survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, one in three women in the European Union has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15. The research also highlights how abuse increasingly takes less visible forms: nearly 30% of women report psychological violence from a partner, while digital technologies are creating new avenues for harassment and control. Behind every statistic is a life affected, a family impacted, and a society that has failed to guarantee the safety and dignity of half its population.
At the political level, there are encouraging signs that gender equality remains firmly on the European agenda. The European Union’s new Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, adopted on 5 March 2026, signals renewed commitment to advancing women’s rights across the continent. Strategies matter: they provide direction, establish priorities and send a message that equality is a shared European objective. While we welcome the Gender equality Strategy, we continue to call for more bold and binding actions.
Strategies alone do not transform societies. Real change depends on political will, binding measures, sustained resources and accountability. Without concrete action (from governments, institutions and leaders across sectors), commitments risk remaining words on paper rather than improvements in women’s daily lives.
There are also reasons for optimism in the growing mobilisation of citizens themselves. Across Europe, people are demanding stronger protections for women’s rights and greater equality. The historic support received by the European citizens’ initiative My Voice My Choice demonstrates that gender equality remains a priority for many Europeans who want their voices to be heard in shaping the future of the Union.
This civic momentum shows something important: progress is not driven only by institutions but also by the determination of citizens who refuse to accept inequality as inevitable.
Yet one structural barrier continues to slow progress across nearly every sector of society: the persistent underrepresentation of women in positions of power. In politics, business, media and many other fields, decision-making remains overwhelmingly male-dominated. When women are absent from leadership, policies and priorities risk overlooking the realities women face.
The reality is simple: women make up half of Europe’s population, yet they remain far from half of those making the decisions that shape our societies. From governments and corporate boards to media and sport leadership, power is still overwhelmingly male. That imbalance is not inevitable — it is political. Through its Parity Now! campaign, the European Women’s Lobby calls for women and men to share power equally across all areas of leadership. Parity means ensuring that the people who take decisions about our societies actually reflect the societies they serve.
As Europe reflects on progress this International Women’s Day, it is worth remembering that change rarely follows a straight line. Advances can stall. Rights can be challenged. Across Europe and beyond, hard-won gains in women’s rights are increasingly facing organised backlash, with attempts to restrict the space for civil society organisations working to defend them. Momentum can fade if attention shifts elsewhere. The gains made over decades of feminist activism, policymaking and civic engagement cannot be taken for granted.
The good news is that Europe has the foundations necessary to move forward: strong institutions, engaged citizens and a growing recognition that gender equality benefits everyone. But progress must accelerate if the promise of equality is to be fulfilled within this generation rather than the next.
International Women’s Day should therefore be more than a moment of celebration. It should be a moment of resolve: to ensure that the commitments made by governments translate into real improvements in women’s lives, that violence against women is addressed with urgency, and that women finally share power equally in shaping the societies in which we live.
Progress is real. But it is also fragile. The responsibility now lies with Europe’s leaders, and with all of us, to ensure that it continues.
