Global anti-feminist backlash gains ground after decades of equality gains

"Progress always moves in fits and starts: two steps forward, one step back. This is also the case with women's rights and equality. For a decade or more in Western countries and in the Global South there have been numerous cases of rights being stripped away after a long period of progress. This regression according to progressive and liberal political"

"They want to completely question decades of achievements. Macron added, quoting the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir: Never forget that a political, economic or religious crisis will be enough to cast doubt on women's rights. Macron's diagnosis and Simone de Beauvoir's warning are the arguments that the centrist French president and the socialist Spanish prime minister have used in their efforts to constitutionally shield abortion rights."

Progress proceeds unevenly; historical advances can be reversed. Women's rights and equality have seen gains followed by regressions across Western countries and the Global South over the past decade. Progressive and liberal leaders link those rollbacks to a global rise in authoritarianism and nationalism. In response, leaders in France and Spain have sought constitutional protections for abortion rights to prevent future political shifts from eroding established freedoms. High parliamentary support including some right-wing votes illustrates both broad backing and lingering uncertainty about the permanence of rights when political crises occur.

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