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200 Parkplätze verschwinden, dafür kommen bis zu 1600 Schüler: In Rapperswil soll ein 91-Millionen-Schulhaus mitten im Freizeitquartier entstehen. Am 8. März wird darüber abgestimmt. Für viele Anwohner ist klar: Das gibt noch weniger Platz.

Die Liebesgeschichte von Prinz William und Prinzessin Kate scheint ein wahr gewordenes Märchen zu sein. Beinahe hätte es aber kein Happy End gehabt. Dank einer guten Fee namens Queen Elizabeth II. hat es aber doch noch geklappt. Das behauptet ein Insider.

Dieser Familienvater dachte wohl, dass sein Achselhaar-Trick unbemerkt bleibt – wäre da nicht die Überwachungskamera des Steak Houses in Sydney, das die eklige Szene aufnimmt. Das Restaurant postet den Vorfall auf den Sozialen Medien, um darauf aufmerksam zu machen.

Für die einen ist es Aberglaube, die anderen sind fest überzeugt davon: die Mondphasen. So beeinflussen sie unser Liebesleben.

Sous le slogan « Pour une expérience internet améliorée et une communication fluide avec vos proches », l’opérateur historique Algérie Télécom a annoncé, ce mardi, […]

L’article Jusqu’à 30 jours offerts… Algérie Télécom lance une offre promotionnelle pour le Ramadan 2026 est apparu en premier sur .

Der GP-Zirkus kommt 16 Tage vor dem ersten WM-Training in Australien nicht zur Ruhe. Mit dem Beginn des Fastenmonats Ramadan geht es ab Mittwoch in die drei letzten Testtage von Bahrain. Mit viel Lärm neben der Strecke.

Der Tessiner Regierungsrat und die betroffenen Gemeinden kritisieren ein Pilotprojekt des Bundes, bei dem im Tessin und im Kanton Solothurn auffällige Asylsuchende separat untergebracht werden sollen. Am Mittwoch findet eine Aussprache mit dem SEM statt.

En visite officielle en Algérie depuis lundi, le ministre français de l’Intérieur, Laurent Nunez, a été reçu mardi par le président de la République, Abdelmadjid […]

L’article Tebboune reçoit le ministre français de l’Intérieur Laurent Nunez est apparu en premier sur .

Besucht Donald Trump am kommenden Sonntag die Olympischen Spiele? Die italienischen Behörden bereiten sich offenbar auf den US-Präsidenten vor.

In der Bundesverfassung soll es keinen neuen Neutralitätsartikel geben. Die zuständige Kommission des Nationalrates empfiehlt ein Nein zur Neutralitätsinitiative, und sie will auch keinen direkten Gegenvorschlag dazu.

Michelle Gloor wollte bei Olympia starten, doch der Krebs stoppte ihren Traum. Jetzt ist die Bob-Athletin in Cortina – als Fan ihres Verlobten Cédric Follador.

Women perform a disproportionate amount of unpaid labor, hindering their ability to build assets or advance careers. Credit: Manipadma Jena/IPS

By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, USA, Feb 17 2026 (IPS)

The global struggle for equality for women and girls has been ongoing for centuries, with no single country having achieved full equality. In many countries, women and girls continue to face discrimination, harassment, unequal treatment, injustice, domestic violence, and a lack of security and safety.

One of the primary goals of this struggle is to dismantle systemic discrimination and secure basic human rights for women and girls. These rights include economic freedom, social independence, voting power, and bodily autonomy.

Discrimination, harassment, lack of rights, limited healthcare, unequal access to resources, education and political power, high rates of violence, forced marriages, and cultural preferences for male children all contribute to the unequal treatment of girls and women

While some progress has been made, the current global situation regarding women’s equality remains concerning. Many women and girls still struggle for their lives, their rights and their dignity.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that countries began passing legislation to ensure women the right to vote and stand for election. The first country to permit women to vote was New Zealand in 1893. Approximately a decade later, Australia, Finland, Denmark and Iceland followed suit.

By the middle of the 20th century, more than half of all countries had granted women the right to vote and today, none of the world’s nearly 200 countries bar women from voting. However, some countries effectively or practically deny women this right through the absence of elections or restrictive regimes.

National surveys across different regions of the world find large majorities of the public supporting women’s equality and saying it is very important for women in their country to have the same rights as men. The majority of the public supporting women’s equality varies from highs of 90 percent or more in countries such as Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom to lows of approximately 55 percent in Kenya, Russia and South Korea.

In contrast, a minority of misogynists consider women inferior to men. This minority often treats women as their personal property, denying them control over their lives and bodies. They restrict women’s political, social and economic rights, and frequently ridicule, intimidate and physically abuse them.

Various indexes and metrics have been used to measure the extent and progress of women’s equality among countries. For example, the Women, Peace and Security Index, based on thirteen indicators of women’s status in 181 countries, focuses on inclusion, justice, rights, security, and safety.

The top five countries that rank high on the Women, Peace and Security Index are Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Together, these five countries account for approximately 0.3% of the world’s female population. European countries hold nine of the top ten rankings on the index, with the Nordic countries consistently ranking in the top ten for many years.

In contrast, the five bottom countries that rank low on this index are Afghanistan, Yemen, Central African Republic, Syria, and Sudan. Among the ten lowest ranked countries on the index, only one country, Haiti, is not in Africa or Asia (Table 1).

Source: Women, Peace and Security Index.

It is noteworthy that the ten countries with the largest economies are not among the top ranked countries on the index. Among these ten countries, Canada and Germany have the highest rankings of 16 and 21, respectively. In contrast, China and India, which each have about 17% of the world’s female population, are ranked significantly lower on this index, with scores of 89 and 131, respectively.

Another metric used to assess countries’ progress in achieving women’s equality is the United Nations Gender Inequality Index (GII). The GII is a composite metric that measures maternal mortality, teen births, secondary education attainment, share of parliamentary seats, and labor market participation.

No single country has achieved full equality, with women still facing the threat of discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence. In many developing countries, women and girls continue to experience serious injustices, including forced marriage, and high levels of domestic and sexual violence.

According to the GII, the five countries with the highest ranking in terms of women’s equality are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Conversely, the five countries with the lowest ranking on the GII are Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, Chad and Afghanistan. Other rankings, such as the Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum and the Best Countries of U.S. News, also produced similar rankings of countries with the highest and lowest levels of women’s equality.

Various factors contribute to the lack of women’s equality and discrimination against women and girls. Notable among these factors are restrictive laws, discriminatory norms, cultural stereotypes, violence risks, and unequal education that value men and boys over women and girls. These misogynistic barriers are reinforced by unconscious bias, weak policy enforcement, economic disparities, and structural disadvantages (Table 2).

Source: Amnesty International.

Men and boys are often given more education, power, resources and opportunities than women and girls. Additionally, traditional or religious norms typically depict males as dominant and females as subordinate. While these norms generally affirm the spiritual equality of men and women, they often perpetuate social and institutional inequality on Earth due to traditional interpretations of sacred religious texts.

Discrimination, harassment, lack of rights, limited healthcare, unequal access to resources, education and political power, high rates of violence, forced marriages, and cultural preferences for male children all contribute to the unequal treatment of girls and women.

Moreover, women also perform a disproportionate amount of unpaid labor, hindering their ability to build assets or advance careers. They face lower pay for equal work and are often concentrated in lower-paying occupations. In many countries, women also have restricted access to land ownership, credit, financial services, and unequal legal protection.

Humanitarian crises, climate change, and pandemics have a tendency to disproportionately affect women, exacerbating existing inequalities. Fragile states and those experiencing conflict also tend to rank poorly in terms of women’s equality.

Women’s inequality also varies within countries. For example, while women make up 50% of the U.S. population, women ‘s inequality persists across social, economic, and political sectors. According to 17 various key indicators of women’s equality in the U.S., one study found that the top five states are Hawaii, Nevada, Maryland, Maine, and Oregon, while the bottom five states are Utah, Texas, Idaho, Arkansas, and Louisiana (Table 3).

Source: WalletHub.

There are only about five years left for the world to fulfill the promises made to girls and women for gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Realizing gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but it is vital for sustainable development.

Women’s equality is a fundamental human right and a foundation for a peaceful and sustainable world. Progress has been achieved over the last several decades. However, the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.

During the remaining years, eleven of the biggest challenges have been identified and need to be addressed in order to advance women’s equality. These challenges include discrimination, inequalities, inadequate access to education and healthcare, lack of women in political leadership, violence against women and girls, poverty, and lack of economic opportunities (Table 4).

 

Source: UN Women.

Women and girls face discrimination that hinders their access to education, employment, healthcare, and legal protections. Treating women unfairly and depriving them of their basic human rights leads to the creation of unjust societies.

Approximately 1 in 3 women – estimated at 840 million globally – have experienced partner or sexual violence in their lifetime. In the last 12 months alone, 316 million women –which is 11% of those aged 15 or older – were subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Major factors contributing to the lack of women’s equality include restrictive laws, discriminatory norms, cultural stereotypes, violence and safety risks, weak enforcement policies, unequal education, economic disparities, inadequate healthcare, lack of political representation, employment segregation, pay gap, unpaid care burden, and unequal household responsibilities.

Achieving women’s equality requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes ensuring their basic human rights, enforcing legal protections against discrimination and violence, ensuring equal pay, education access, economic empowerment, and opportunities, promoting women in leadership roles, dismantling misogynistic stereotypes, advancing inclusive policies, supporting women-led institutions, and encouraging shared domestic responsibility.

Additionally, this multi-faceted approach involves promoting proactive efforts by governments, non-governmental institutions, businesses, schools, community organizations, families, and individuals to ensure equal opportunities, freedom from violence, and fundamental human rights for women and girls.

Joseph Chamie is an independent consulting demographer and former director of the United Nations Population Division.

 

Am Dienstagmittag ist ein Kind bei einem Verkehrsunfall in Matzingen TG mittelschwer verletzt worden. Der Rettungsdienst rückte an und brachte das Mädchen ins Spital.

Im Lokal von Gastronom Mike Gut erscheinen regelmässig bis zu zehn Prozent der Gäste nicht. Der Betreiber will nun flächendeckend No-Show-Gebühren einführen.

Gute Nachrichten für Fans von Helene Fischer. Nachdem die deutsche Schlagerkönigin zuletzt fast ausschliesslich Kindermusik veröffentlichte, kündigt sie für ihre diesjährige Stadion-Tournee neue Pop- und Schlagermusik an.

Finanz-Experte Rick Davis ist gerade von Zuhause aus dem TV-Sender Bloomberg zugeschaltet. Plötzlich platzt seine Enkelin ins Bild. Die Reaktion von Davis siehst du im Video.

The Council extended the restrictive measures on Zimbabwe until February 2027 maintaining the arms embargo, while lifting travel bans and asset freezes.

The Council today approved conclusions setting guidelines for the EU’s annual budget for 2027. The guidelines provide a political steer to the Commission in preparing the draft budget proposal for next year’s budget.

The Council today activated the national escape clause for Austria under the stability and growth pact.  The measure will help Austria transition to higher defence spending at national level while ensuring debt sustainability.

Today, the Council added two countries - Turks and Caicos Islands and Viet Nam – to the EU list. At the same time, three countries - Fiji, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago - were removed. Following this update, the list consists of 10 jurisdictions.