Gen Z-ero tolerance for inequality: How youth are driving change for women’s rights in 2025
Feeling like women’s rights are under attack? You’re not alone. Around the world, the hard-won progress toward gender equality is facing setbacks, with new challenges emerging every day. But here's the thing: young people today aren’t waiting for change — they’re driving it.
UN Women spoke to young activists at the CSW69 Youth Forum who are shaping a better future for ALL women and girls today. The Youth Forum, organized by UN Women on the eve of CSW69, created a space for youth advocates to strategize on how they want to engage with intergovernmental discussions and drive accountability towards the implementation of the Beijing+30 Action Agenda.
“We’re not backing down” – that's the resounding message from young activists at CSW69, determined to organize, speak out and demand change for All women and girls.
On navigating the current backlash against women’s rights
“It is ok to feel deflated, the geopolitical situation isn’t great for gender equality and women’s and girls' human rights but it is important to say that there are people, especially young people who are holding the line, who are pushing forward progress and who are here to make the change,” says Ishaan Shah, 21, UN Women national youth gender advocate on the B+30 youth committee.
“I come from a town that has been resisting for more than 500 years. On behalf of all my ancestors, the only thing we must continue doing is resisting, because we are all human beings, we all deserve the same rights, and we all deserve to feel protected, and loved everywhere.”
“I am also feeling frustrated, but this should not stop us; we need to work together, we need to resist. We will find a lot of these backlashes, but we should not step back,” says Rabeb Aloui, 36, a climate advocate and feminist, and member of FEMNET, Tunisia.
“The fact that there is backlash does not take away from the value of our movement or the potential of our movement.” – Ilayda Eskitaşçıoğlu
“I know that it is so difficult to keep yourself up, because we are living in a world where the far-right movements are advancing, every day and each day more, but we need to continue to do our work... we need to keep marching, we need to keep doing our advocacy, because a lot of good can happen even in the worst times.”
“We need to engage with our allies, find other allies, and keep our network strong, and keep going, because if we don’t fight, we don’t have hope, and hope is what move’s us”, adds Anne Heloise Barbosa, 27, a member of Generation Equality's Feminist Action for Climate Justice, from Brazil.
On those who feel threatened by women’s empowerment
“We are not here to steal your power or your ability, but we are here to say we are all human beings, and we have the same right to have the rights that men have right now,” says Mei Matsuda, 25, Japan.
“Women’s and girls' human rights benefit all human rights.”
“Education is a key component of engaging men and boys in the fight for gender equality and the realization of full human rights, so it is important to engage young people, particularly young boys, from a very young age throughout their life course to really champion feminist leadership,” adds Ishaan Shah
“This is a conversation about equality, this is a conversation about human rights for all, and you better question where this feeling of terror, where this anxiety is actually coming from,” Ilayda Eskitaşçıoğlu, founder of the menstrual justice organization We need to talk, in Turkey.
“We cannot continue fostering the idea that boys should see themselves as superior when we all come from the same place. We are all the same, and we all deserve the same,”–Küyenray Rupayan
“For a successful life YOU need women’s rights, you cannot talk only about your rights. If you want to achieve [human] rights globally, if you want your rights to be respected, you need to respect the rights of others; women’s rights are human rights.”
On making gender equality a reality
“As a young person, recognize that you have the ability to lead. You have the power to make a difference. You have the power to push forward progress on gender equality,” shares Ishaan Shah.
“I come from one of the marginalized communities in India and my call to action is to decentralize processes,” says Arzoo Shakir, 27, co-founder Feminist Manch/Gender at work.
“Our call to action is to decenter some of the power that is here and shift it back to the local, the national and regional, to centre accountability and to institutionalize young feminists' leadership where we are leading processes, so that we are not just consulted, but equal drivers and equal coleaders.”
“Online activism is amazing, a big part of activism, but on-the-ground change is how we are going to engage with each other, with other activists.” –Anne Heloise Barbosa.
On recent positive changes for gender equality
“The most important advancement I witnessed was that in 2021, in my country, Chile, the constitutional convention took place,” shares Küyenray Rupayan.
“Along with the parity law, an Indigenous woman, Elisa Loncon, was elected as the president of the constitutional convention. A woman.”
“After years of hard work and advocacy we were able to decrease the Value Added Tax of menstrual products from 18 per cent to 8 per cent. Later it increased to 10 per cent due to the cost of living. We were not able to eliminate the tax, but in a very tough political environment we were able to open up space and push the government to recognize that menstrual products are basic needs.”
“Last year Brazil adopted a national plan for care work, it is not paid care work yet, but it is a signal that it’s coming, so we are very excited about it,” shares Anne Heloise Barbosa.
“As a young feminist leader from the Asia-Pacific region and as a member of an informal collective, we engaged in the Beijing+30 regional review processes for the first time, and what was a win was to see the extent of engagement from young feminists in the Beijing review process this time.” Aarushi Khanna, 34, co-founder Feminist Manch/Equal measures 2030 coalition, India.
“A few years ago, we enacted a new law on violence against women and we now have centres for women to go to whenever they are affected by any kind of violence and I think this is a success for us as Tunisian women.” –Rabeb Aloui
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