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] Sessions focused on women's access to land tenure, credit, and cooperatives, recognising that closing the gender gap in agriculture could increase African food production by up to 20%. Africa Agricultural Network | The Face of African Agric
• [New] Across the world, gender is central to authoritarian populists' efforts to generate public support, justify power expansion, and enact discriminatory actions that threaten everyone's rights and freedoms. Kettering Foundation
• [New] Social priorities like working conditions, gender equality, natural resource management, and human rights were relatively low on the list for global CEOs, with economic opportunity reigning as the top priority for both global and U.S. CEOs. Yahoo Finance
• Goldman Sachs will no longer consider race, gender, and sexual orientation when evaluating potential board members. ballotpedia
• Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity. The Guardian
• The number of people at risk of Gender-based violence has tripled in two years. Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy
• The United Nations estimates that if current trends hold, gender equality in the highest positions of government will not be reached for another 130 years. CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in December unveiled a proposed rule that would bar hospitals that participate in Medicaid and Medicare from providing any gender-affirming care to youth - a change that could sharply restrict access in most hospitals. North Carolina Health News
• 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
• 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
• 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)
• Looking ahead, Mexican society will hopefully become more gender conscious with time. Canning House
• Employers will need to create action plans for gender equality and menopause which will be voluntary until some time in 2027. Small Business UK
• 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
• 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

Last updated: 09 March 2026