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.
MENA (Middle East and North Africa)
+ Study links rising temperatures to increased rates of cancer in women
A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health links rising global temperatures to a higher risk of cancer for women—particularly breast and ovarian cancers. The research, led by scientists at the American University in Cairo (AUC), highlights how climate change may disproportionately impact women’s health in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Dr. Abu El Kheir-Mataria, a senior research fellow at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, conceived the study out of concern for gender disparities in healthcare and the region’s heightened vulnerability to climate change.
The strongest correlations were observed in six countries—most notably in the Gulf states, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. “Heat increases exposure to pollutants and disrupts healthcare systems, delaying diagnosis and treatment. It may also alter cell structure” said Dr. Mataria. “Women are more vulnerable due to limited access and cultural taboos around breast and cervical cancer.”
Professor Sungsoo Chun, who conducted the observational study, said climate mitigation policies—like those outlined in the Paris Agreement—are essential. He warned that vulnerable populations will be hit hardest and emphasized the need for robust climate action and strengthened healthcare systems across the region.
United Kingdom
+ Abortion survivors protection law passed
On June 17, the U.K. Parliament voted to decriminalize late term abortions. The law, approved in a landslide 379-137 vote, specifically protects women who have self-terminated a pregnancy past the legalized abortion window. They will not be able to be investigated, arrested, prosecuted or imprisoned for terminating a pregnancy, regardless of the trimester.
In the U.K., abortions are allowed at up to 24 weeks of pregnancy; however, past ten weeks they need to be approved by two doctors, leading to a history of women being prosecuted for self-terminating pregnancies. Nicola Parker was one notable case: she delivered a stillborn baby during height of the COVID pandemic after taking abortion medication prescribed by her doctor. Parker was arrested, jailed and eventually acquitted.
The law aims to prevent cases like Parker’s in which women are criminalized in their efforts to protect their health and exercise their reproductive autonomy. “The new [law] is about recognizing that these women need care and support, and not criminalization,” MP Tonia Antoniazzi, the author of the law, explained.
As the law awaits imminent approval in the upper House of Parliament, some lawmakers and activists have taken the opportunity to question whether it can go further. It still does not prevent medical professionals from being prosecuted for assisting in a late-term abortion, nor does it commit to entirely decriminalizing abortion. Nevertheless, it is a positive step forward into a future in which abortion is a human right for all U.K. citizens.
Nigeria
+ Nigerian university staff exposed for groping student’s chests for exam qualifications
Footage from Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria has just been released, in which female supervisors are seen touching students’ chests before allowing them into the examination room. The practice apparently comes from a “no bra, no exam” policy that the university follows.
Several students have responded to the video’s release in the rule’s defense. The president of the university’s student union commented on X that the university was simply following, “a dress-code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment.” He then published the dress-code in question, which prohibits any clothes “capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner.”
Haruna Ayagi, a senior official at campaign group Human Rights Network, warned of the genuine legal consequences of this ostensibly “respectful” rule. “Unwarranted touches on another person’s body is a violation and could lead to legal action. The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing,” Ayagi commented.
The university has yet to comment on the video’s release. However, the same student union leader claimed that the union is in discussion with the university about alternative methods of enforcing the dress-code.
South Australia
+ Debate topic on ‘Tradwife’ movement prompts concern from parents and advocates
Students across South Australia may be required to argue in favor of a movement critics say reinforces women’s oppression. For the third round of Debating South Australia’s competition, all Year 9 participants have been assigned the topic: “The ‘tradwife’ movement is good for women.”
The choice of topic sparked swift backlash. Parents and advocates raised concerns about asking young girls to defend a movement that promotes female submission and domesticity as ideal. Often linked to anti-feminism, “tradwife” ideology encourages women to embrace 1950s-style roles–serving their husbands, managing the home and raising children full time.
The nonprofit Debating SA defended the prompt, claiming they intended to reference stay-at-home parenting–not submission to male authority–and were unaware of the term’s deeper connotations. Organizers insisted the exercise is strictly academic and conducted with formal rules that prohibit disrespect or personal attacks. Still, dozens of parents and observers expressed outrage, arguing the topic forces teen girls to legitimize their own subordination in a public form.
Europe
+ Women’s Euro Soccer Championships break attendance records
The Women’s Euro Soccer Championships are set to begin next week in Switzerland, and attendance rates are already expected to break records. With more than half a million tickets already sold, organizers expect to break the previous attendance record of 575,000 set in 2022.
Women’s sports have long faced a gap of attendance, funding and attention, but that gap has been decreasing over the past decade. At Euro 2009, the average attendance was around 5,000 at the English matches—in 2022, it was 18,544. The number of global cumulative live viewership has also grown from 116 million in 2013, to 365 million in 2022.
While global women’s soccer revenue still lags behind men’s, international and club organizations have made significant progress in investing in the sport, ultimately reflected in the undeniable attendance increase. “I think that in recent years there has been a very good evolution,” Barcelona’s two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas said to the Associated Press. “In the end, we just needed people to invest in us, to help us improve, and I think that change is happening.”
Canada
+ New virtual care platform for perimenopause and midlife health
A new virtual care platform called June Health has launched in Canada, aiming to address a long-overlooked health and workforce issue: perimenopause. Designed for women over 40—the country’s fastest-growing segment of the labor force—June Health offers integrated clinical care, AI-powered support and pharmacy services to manage symptoms and reduce healthcare costs.
Medical Director of June Health Dr. Romy Nitsch explained that perimenopause can last up to 10 years, with women experiencing over 40 common symptoms like irregular periods, mood changes and hot flashes. “It’s time we stopped treating this as a lifestyle issue and started addressing it as the complex medical phase it truly is.”
Unlike general telehealth services, June Health focuses specifically on perimenopause and midlife care, connecting users with dietitians, therapists and other specialists. The platform is designed to work alongside existing health plans and aims to improve both quality of case and productivity for the 10 million Canadian women navigating this life stage.
Kenya
+ Fashion show celebrates plus-size models
In an effort to combat harmful body standards, amateur models took to the runway at the East African Plus Size Fashion Affair on June 10. Founded by Winnie Wenga Wolcott, the event is the only one of its kind in the country. Held in Kisumu, western Kenya, the show features plus-size models in vibrant African wax print dresses and elegant evening wear—offering a rare platform to celebrate body diversity. It aims to challenge rigid ideals and empower African women to feel confident and joyful in their bodies.
Many models say the event has helped them embrace their bodies and inspired others to do the same. The focus is on visibility, acceptance and creating clothing that actually fits larger body types—something often lacking in mainstream fashion.
Kenyan entrepreneur Oprah Odhiambo hopes the show shifts perceptions. “There are those plus-size women who are in hiding because they are afraid that people will body shame them,” she said, hoping this show gives them a reason to stand tall.
South Korea
+ South Korean women galvanize in protest, surging a liberal presidential candidate into victory
South Korea has elected Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as their president, in wake of Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. However, Lee’s victory would not have been possible without the critical support of Korean women leading up to the election.
Immediately following Yoon’s martial law decree, which later resulted in his arrest and impeachment, young women quickly took to the streets as part of the anti-Yoon protests. In one December rally, women in their 20s made up the largest demographic of attendance: nearly 18 percent compared to the 3 percent of men.
The women are protesting not just Yoon’s abuse of martial law, but his notoriously anti-feminist stance. During his 2022 election, Yoon promised to uplift men who felt “reverse discrimination” from any policies created in favor of women. A survey conducted a year before Yoon was elected found that 79 percent of young South Korean men in their 20s felt “seriously discriminated by their gender.” Yoon harnessed this resentment, threatening to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a critical source of social progress.
Despite their ignorant complaints, women in South Korea are in desperate need of concrete, systemic change: the gender pay gap is perhaps the most glaring statistic, sitting at 31 percent, the widest amongst wealthy nations.
While Lee potentially offers a path towards hope, young South Korean women are still skeptical. In his efforts to win the election amongst a wide array of voters, Lee actually strayed away from taking a stance on gender inequality. “Our voices don’t seem to be reflected in the [campaign] pledges at all,” 23-year-old Kim Saeyon expressed before Lee’s election. “I feel a bit abandoned.”
