Is the EU a world leader in promoting women’s rights? Addressing the remaining inequalities

International Women’s Day first took place in March 1911, with more than a million people marking the event in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. At that time, women were not allowed to vote, and in numerous countries higher education was not open to women, and divorce was not legal. A huge amount has changed since then, of course. The political leaders of two of the EU’s three top institutions today are women, for example. But violence against women and gaps in pay between men and women persist, to name but two pressing issues that the EU is still trying to address. We explore the state of women’s rights in Europe on the occasion of the 2025 International Women’s Day – 114 years after the original milestone.