The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.
England
+ Football Association bars trans women from women’s soccer after court ruling
Starting June 1, trans women will be banned from playing in women’s soccer leagues in England, following a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that alters the legal definition of “woman” to being based on “biological sex.” The Football Association (FA) said the policy shift was legally required and will apply across both amateur and professional levels.
The ruling has prompted other UK sports bodies to follow suit. The Scottish FA has announced a similar restriction for the upcoming season, aligning with a broader global trend that has seen World Athletics and World Aquatics organizations impose bans on trans women in elite women’s sports.
LGBTQ+ advocates, including Pride Sports, condemned the decision as discriminatory, noting that fewer than 30 trans women currently play in UK women’s leagues, without issue. “Within weeks, they will lose not just their familiar place in football but the many physical and mental health benefits that come from being part of a welcoming team environment,” the group stated.
Togo
+ First all-women electric vehicle assembly line in Togo
One Africa’s leading electric vehicle (EV) companies, Spiro, has launched an all–women assembly line in Togo–a groundbreaking move for the African EV industry. Women will now lead daily motor and charger production, receiving specialized training in manufacturing. In a sector historically dominated by men, Sprio’s initiative not only breaks the barriers, but paves the way for greater inclusivity in tech and manufacturing.
“This initiative underscores Spiro’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and women’s empowerment while addressing Africa’s urgent infrastructure needs for electric mobility,” the company told the Kenya Times.
South Korea
+ Samsung under fire for failing women in the boardroom
Samsung is facing mounting criticism over its failure to appoint women to leadership roles, with shareholders calling out the company at its annual meeting for having no female internal board members. Only two women serve as external directors, highlighting the stark gender gap in one of South Korea’s most powerful corporations.
The tech giant is not alone. Among South Korea’s 30 largest companies, there are just 25 women directors in total. Hyundai named its first female internal director only in 2021, and LG Electronics has none. The country ranks second-to-last in the OECD’s 2025 “glass ceiling index,” above only Japan.
Women in South Korea face persistent discrimination even when applying for ordinary jobs. CNN recently reported a hiring manager telling a female applicant, “Women aren’t fit to work in sales.”
Samsung, meanwhile, has focused on initiatives like foreign language training and its Generation17 partnership with the UN, which supports youth-led work on global issues including gender equality. But critics say symbolic perks and CSR programs can’t substitute for real structural change in corporate governance.
Iran
+ 2024 femicide report shows surge in violence
StopFemicideIran (SFI) has released a preview of its 2024 report, exposing a troubling surge in femicides across Iran. The report offers a detailed analysis of the victims, methods of violence used and the societal factors fueling these crimes. Launched in 2020 by the Alliance for Rights of All Minorities in the wake of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi’s murder, SFI seeks to raise global awareness about the ongoing crisis of violence against women in Iran.
The 26-page report documents a staggering 172 femicides—marking a 16 percent increase from the previous year. This translates to one murder approximately every other day, and includes 31 state-sponsored executions of women. Over one-third of the victims were between the ages of 15 and 35, with the youngest just two months old. The report also underscores the brutal nature of many of these killings and the alarming frequency of violence perpetrated within families.
SFI also highlighted the devastating impact on children and communities left behind. Through documentation, education and grassroots empowerment, the initiative aims to combat femicide and promote women’s rights in Iran. “We must continue to work together to break the cycle of violence and ensure that these women’s lives are not forgotten,” said Marjan Keypour, founder and director of StopFemicideIran.
United Arab Emirates
+ Region’s first all-female supercar club breaks stereotypes on the open road
In a region long seen as a man’s world when it comes to cars, the Arabian Gazelles are rewriting the rules. Founded in 2017 by Hanan Mazouzi Sobati, the UAE-based club is the Middle East’s first all-women supercar owners group — high-performance luxury cars built for speed and spectacle — and it’s growing fast. Earlier this month, 30 women from the UAE and beyond hit the highways in a four-day rally across the Emirates, driving Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and McLarens.
Mazouzi Sobati, a lifelong car enthusiast, created the club to challenge the automotive world’s exclusion of women. She said she was tired of brands only inviting men to track days and promotional events — often sending invitations to her husband, not her. “We don’t wait for a seat at the table,” she said. “If the seat is not available, we create the table and we all sit.”
Despite early resistance from car companies, perceptions are shifting. BMW recently invited the group to test-drive vehicles on a racetrack.
The club’s mission goes beyond horsepower. It’s about visibility, autonomy, and belonging. “We want people to stop assuming there’s always a man behind the wheel of a supercar,” Sobati said. For many members, the Gazelles offer not just adrenaline — but empowerment.
Dominican Republic
+ History making bill introduced to reform the DR’s 139-year-old penal code
Dominican Republic Senator Antonio Tavéras Guzmán has introduced a landmark bill to revise the country’s 1884 penal code, proposing exceptions to the country’s total abortion ban in cases of rape, incest, nonviable pregnancies, or threats to the mother’s life. The bill also expands protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and strengthens support for victims of gender-based violence, child abuse and human trafficking.
Currently, abortion is fully criminalized in the DR, with women and girls facing incarceration for seeking care. Taveras’ proposal comes as four competing revisions threaten to maintain the ban, impose harsher penalties—including prison terms of up to 30 years—and weaken protections against gender-based violence and discrimination.
With maternal mortality and teen pregnancy rates among the highest in the region, and abortion the third leading cause of maternal death in the country, the stakes have never been higher. Far-right lawmakers, encouraged by conservative U.S. allies, are aggressively pushing to entrench the current restrictions.
Hundreds of organizations, united under the National Popular Coordinator, the Citizen Forum, and the Coalition for Life and Women’s Rights, have voiced their support for the proposed Penal Code reforms.
Sudan
+ Sudan’s paramilitary’s forces are weaponizing sexual violence
Amnesty International has accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of using sexual violence, including gang rape, as a tactic of war amid the country’s ongoing conflict. In a newly released 30-page report, the organization details how RSF fighters have weaponized sexual violence to terrorize and control displaced communities.
The brutal civil war between Sudan’s RSF and the state’s army has lasted nearly two years, killing tens of thousands and displacing over 11 million people. Amnesty found evidence of war crimes committed on both sides, with women and girls suffering widespread sexual violence.
Amnesty interviewed 30 people for the report, many now living in Ugandan refugee camps, who consistently identified RSF fighters as their attackers. Survivors described the profound physical and psychological trauma inflicted, as well as the devastating, lasting toll on their lives, although urgent medical care remains a critical need, cuts to USAID-funded programs have severely restricted access to essential sexual health services.
“The international response to the suffering of Sudanese women and girls has been reprehensible,”said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact. “The world must act to stop the RSF’s atrocities by stemming the flow of weapons into Sudan, pressuring the leadership to end sexual violence, and holding perpetrators including top commanders to account.”
Greece
+ Greece joins call for first female UN Secretary-General
Greece has publicly thrown its support behind the idea of a woman leading the United Nations, saying the “tide is for a woman” as the race to replace António Guterres in 2026 begins to stir. Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, speaking as Greece assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council in May, told PassBlue that while male candidates may still apply, “the time is long overdue” for a female Secretary-General.
Sekeris also championed the Women, Peace and Security agenda, emphasizing its strategic value amid global instability. Greece is the latest in a growing list of nations voicing support for gender parity in the UN’s highest post, which has never been held by a woman in its 80-year history.
His remarks come as part of what he called a “European spring” at the Council, with Denmark, France, Slovenia, and now Greece forming a rare show of EU unity. While the five permanent members retain veto power, elected members like Greece are increasingly vocal in shaping the institution’s future direction.
The call for a woman leader resonates with advocates pushing for change across the UN system, especially after the General Assembly adopted gender parity targets and amid pressure to make top roles more inclusive. Whether this momentum translates into actual nominations remains to be seen — but the diplomatic drumbeat is growing louder.
