Skip to main content

World News

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi affixes celebratory rosettes to the names of winning candidates in the Lower House election on Feb. 8 at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district. (Hikaru Uchida)
February 11, 2026
Over 90% of LDP candidates win; record number of women run

The Liberal Democratic Party’s lopsided victory was not the only record set in the Feb. 8 Lower House election.

A total of 313 women ran as candidates, accounting for 24.4 percent of the 1,284 contenders and surpassing the previous high of 23.4 percent.

Learn More
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas is one of several women making significant political waves in 2026. (Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr)
February 11, 2026
15 Women in Politics to Watch, as Midterms Loom and Chaos Swirls

Women’s overall influence in American politics is on the rise.

Learn More
Fahmida Iqbal, Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan, addresses participants during the orientation workshop of the Pakistan–Thailand exchange visit on integrated and gender-responsive gender-based violence services, held in Bangkok in January 2026. Photo: UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking
February 11, 2026
Pakistan and Thailand exchange expertise on ending violence against women

Learn More
Women's organisations protest in front of the election commission in Dhaka over comments by Shafiqur Rahman, Jamaat e-Islami’s leader. Photograph: Maruf Rahman/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Women marched in Dhaka at midnight
Female supporters of Jamaat e-Islami take part in a march in Dhaka
February 11, 2026
‘Women’s freedoms are at stake’: concern at rise of Islamist party before Bangladesh election

Learn More
February 11, 2026
The Feminist Movement at a Crossroads: Reclaiming Our Politics in an Age of Paradox

 

Learn More
A supporter holds a sign reading “Go Sana-chan!” at a street rally for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Fukuoka, Japan on Jan. 30. © Kyodo
A supporter holds a flyer for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, alongside an English vocabulary book at an LDP election rally in the city of Saitama on Tuesday. | BLOOMBERG
February 5, 2026
How Sanae Takaichi won over disillusioned young voters

Three months into her tenure as Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi is connecting with younger voters in a way her predecessors failed.

Learn More
Girl draped in a Ukrainian Flag
February 5, 2026
EU and UN Women launch ‘Gender Equality Facility’ in Ukraine

Learn More
A group of traditional leaders at a consultation.
February 5, 2026
African traditional leaders meet in Lagos to accelerate action on gender-based violence prevention

Learn More
BBC Hind Kabawat says she would not stay in the role if she was not free to set her own strategy
Kabawat is part of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's transitional government, appointed in March last year
February 2, 2026
Syria's only female minister pushes for change: 'I'm not here for window dressing'

"On the first day, I asked 'why are there no more women?'," says Hind Kabawat.

Learn More
Subscribe to World News