Yesterday was International Women’s Day, while significant strides have been made for women’s rights globally, economic equality in the workplace remains far from reality.
A new report from the United Nations Secretary-General highlights a stark statistic: women around the world hold just 64 per cent of the legal rights of men. Among the most striking gaps is pay equity. In 44 per cent of countries, the law still does not require equal pay for work of equal value, meaning employers can legally pay women less than men for the same or comparable roles.
How far we’ve come
Over the past few decades, the principle of equal pay has steadily gained legal recognition. Many countries now formally protect pay equity through legislation.
Countries including Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and Iceland have implemented laws designed to address gender pay disparities. Some nations have gone further by requiring companies to report or justify pay gaps.
Iceland has been widely recognised as a global leader, becoming the first country to require companies to prove they are paying men and women equally for the same work. In the UK, organisations with more than 250 employees must publish their gender pay gap data each year, increasing transparency and accountability.
Australia has also taken steps to address workplace inequality. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency collects pay data from thousands of employers, helping highlight systemic pay gaps and drive organisational change.
These policies have contributed to measurable progress. Globally, the gender pay gap has narrowed over time, and more women than ever are participating in the workforce and holding leadership roles.
The gap that remains
Despite these gains, the reality is that women still earn less than men on average worldwide. Structural barriers, occupational segregation, caregiving responsibilities, and persistent bias continue to affect earnings and career progression.
In many countries without strong pay equity legislation, women have limited recourse when they experience wage discrimination. Even where laws exist, enforcement can be inconsistent, and cultural norms may discourage workers from challenging pay disparities.
The UN report warns that economic inequality can have far-reaching consequences. Lower lifetime earnings impact women’s financial independence, retirement savings, and long-term economic security.
Beyond legislation
While legal reforms are critical, experts emphasise that laws alone are not enough. Equal pay requires cultural change inside organisations and across societies.
Pay transparency, stronger reporting requirements, equitable parental leave policies, and more women in leadership positions are among the strategies increasingly being adopted to close the gap.
At the same time, ensuring women have access to justice when discrimination occurs remains essential. The UN report highlights that barriers such as cost, time, language, and lack of trust in institutions often prevent women from pursuing legal action.
A moment for action
The theme of International Women’s Day 2026, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” underscores the urgency of continuing progress.
As Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, noted in response to the report, justice systems that fail women undermine the rule of law itself.
Equal pay is not just an economic issue. It is a question of fairness, dignity, and opportunity.
The progress made so far shows that change is possible. But with nearly half of the world’s countries still lacking legal guarantees for pay equity, the journey toward truly equal workplaces is far from over.
International Women’s Day serves as both a celebration of how far women have come and a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to ensure that every woman and girl can participate in the global economy on equal terms.