Our Scans · (LF.5) Gender Equality · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.

• [New] NYU Langone Health, one of New York City's major hospital networks, announced this week that it will shut down its gender-affirming care program for minors, as the Trump administration escalates threats to strip federal funding from providers that treat trans youth. The Guardian
• [New] If current trends continue, gender parity on corporate boards would not be reached until 2043, 19% of which still have no female representation. / Mexico Mexico Business
• [New] If Germany and the EU wish to defend and deepen a gender and human rights agenda at the multilateral level, Mexico, Chile and Colombia will be important partners. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
• [New] Looking ahead, Mexican society will hopefully become more gender conscious with time. Canning House
• [New] Employers will need to create action plans for gender equality and menopause which will be voluntary until some time in 2027. Small Business UK
• [New] Women's rights in Somalia remain heavily constrained by legal, structural, and social barriers including early marriage, limited educational opportunities, discrimination, and pervasive gender-based violence. Human Rights Watch
• [New] 2026 will fully embrace beauty for every gender, tone, and texture. The Skin Center by CPS
• New Zealand's ban on new puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria in minors will undergo a judicial review in 2026 after it was delayed from December. Context
• California students are likely to see fewer cellphones and more gender-neutral bathrooms in 2027 as new state education laws go into effect. San Mateo Daily Journal
• The outcome of the next EU Gender Equality Strategy for 2026-2030 will shape the framework in which cities work, and it will interact closely with what many city administrations see every day: structural discrimination against women persists, but local initiatives for change are multiplying. Eurocities
• Legislative work, engagement with the UN on policy development, gender equality, youth engagement, leadership renewal and inter-cooperative collaboration will remain priorities, alongside continued support for cooperatives operating in fragile or crisis-affected contexts. ICA
• There are increased risks of gender-based violence, child marriage and exploitation. Secretary-General
• The Trump-Vance administration last month announced it will expand the global gag rule, which bans U.S. foreign aid for groups that support abortion and/or offer abortion-related services, to include organizations that promote gender ideology. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, G
• In 2026, nearly one-third of surveyed philanthropy leaders plan to scale back racial equality initiatives, with reductions also planned for environmental justice and gender equality. The Conference Board
• This month, House Republicans passed one of the most extreme anti-trans bills in modern American history, advancing legislation that would criminalize gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and threaten doctors with severe penalties for providing evidence-based treatment. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, G
• Trans people are not extremists, nor are they grooming children or threatening the fabric of American identity - they are human beings for whom gender affirming care is lifesaving. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, G
• The companies that lead in 2026 will be the ones whose boards combine gender diversity with deep technology fluency. Forbes
• Women rights defenders face additional risks online, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence: In a global survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, 38% of women reported personal experience with violence online, from hacking and stalking to image-based sexual abuse. Just Security
• As pressure mounts and we see more drive from governments, investors, and professional bodies to address longstanding gender health gaps, 2026 could be the time we start to see tangible change. FemTech World
• The European Union has announced it will invest 55 million pesos (US $ 3 million) to finance five Mexican projects to combat gender violence in 2026. Mexico News Daily

Last updated: 23 February 2026