Recent data from Gallup shows that people around the world are now more likely to say that women in their own countries are treated with respect and dignity than at many points in the past decade. This shift follows a period of generally declining perceptions leading up to 2022 and marks a notable improvement in global attitudes.
In 2025, a median of 72 per cent of adults surveyed across 140 countries reported that women in their country are treated with respect and dignity. This represents a nine-percentage-point rise from the 63 per cent recorded in 2022, which was the lowest level since Gallup began consistently measuring this perspective in 2015.
The increase in positive views has occurred among both women and men. Prior to 2022, perceptions among women had generally declined following the prominence of the #MeToo movement and during the pandemic period, while men’s views stayed fairly steady but also dropped in 2022. Since then, the trends among both groups have risen and have tended to track closely together.
Regional and Country Changes in Perceptions
Between 2022 and 2025, at least 24 countries saw increases of ten points or more in the share of people who say women are treated with respect. These gains have appeared in diverse regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe, and Latin America.
Despite this overall progress, substantial divides in perceptions remain between women and men. In the 2025 survey, men were significantly more likely than women to say women are treated with respect in 87 of the 140 countries surveyed. In another 53 countries, women and men held similar views. Notably, there was no country in which women were more likely than men to say that women are treated with respect.
Some of the largest gender gaps in these perceptions were observed in countries such as Portugal, Australia and Greece. The United States also recorded a large gap for the first time in recent years, with a notable difference between the share of men and women who believe that women in their country are treated with respect. Several other high-income countries, including Japan and Mexico, are among those with the widest disparities.
Differences Between Daily Experience and Broader Views
Gallup also looks at how men and women describe their own experiences of respect on a daily basis. On this measure, equal shares of men and women 90 per cent reported being treated with respect on the previous day. Yet among women there is a marked contrast between their daily experience and their broader perceptions of how women are treated in their countries. This divide is especially evident in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the largest gaps between these two measures were found.
Respect, Safety and Broader Implications
The way people view the treatment of women in society is closely linked with how women feel about their personal safety. In countries where fewer women than men believe women are treated with respect, there also tend to be larger gaps in how safe women say they feel walking alone at night. This pattern holds true even in higher-income nations, where women often report both lower levels of respect and greater concerns about safety in their communities.
While these findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between perceived respect and feelings of insecurity, they indicate that respect and safety are deeply connected in women’s lives across the world.
Reflections on Global Respect for Women
The 2025 Gallup findings ahead of International Women’s Day 2026 show promising improvements in how people worldwide think women are treated, even as longstanding gender differences in perceptions persist. Women globally are still less likely than men to say women are treated with respect and dignity, highlighting the ongoing challenges that remain.
Do write and share your reflections upon this matter and the significance of rising global respect for women in your community and beyond.
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