Global Scans · Gender · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Achieving global gender parity will take many decades yet. Read on to understand the trends, challenges and efforts to advance parity at a faster pace.

• [New] Developing a national health strategy for women, supporting more research on women and investing in the fem tech industry could make Canada a global leader. SenCanada
• [New] Nearly six in the 10 women in the US will have some sort of cardiovascular diseases by 2050. The Guardian
• [New] Obesity is expected to climb most sharply among Asian women, rising by nearly 26%. ScienceDaily
• [New] Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women and remains their #1 health risk overall. ScienceDaily
• [New] Nearly 6 in 10 women in the United States will be living with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) within the next 25 years. ScienceDaily
• [New] By 2050, nearly 60% of women in the United States could have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. ScienceDaily
• [New] By 2050, nearly 60% of women in the U.S. could have high blood pressure, and close to one in three women ages 22 to 44 may already be living with some form of heart disease. ScienceDaily
• [New] While there is no set age for men to freeze sperm, risks of certain conditions increase after 45. NYU Langone News
• [New] About 60,730 cases of female breast ductal carcinoma in situ and 122,680 cases of melanoma in situ will be diagnosed in 2026. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Data from the Pew Research Centre shows that women, particularly younger women, experience high levels of severe online harassment, including sexual harassment and threats of violence. CEOWORLD Magazine
• [New] By 2035, the highest prevalence of obesity is expected to be among women in South Dakota - 59.5% - and men in Indiana - 53.6%. Yahoo News
• [New] We know from recent estimates that closing the gaps between men and women in agriculture could raise global GDP by one trillion dollars and reduce food insecurity for 45 million people. MercoPress
• [New] Across Sudan, acute malnutrition is expected to worsen in 2026 according to the alert, with a 13.5% increase in cases of acute malnutrition in children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women - from 3.7 million children and women in 2025 to nearly 4.2 million in 2026. Save The Children
• [New] Sessions focused on women's access to land tenure, credit, and cooperatives, recognising that closing the gender gap in agriculture could increase African food production by up to 20%. Africa Agricultural Network | The Face of African Agric
• [New] If current trends continue, gender parity on corporate boards would not be reached until 2043, 19% of which still have no female representation. / Mexico Mexico Business
• [New] Research has shown the US will be a majority-minority country by 2040, a majority of college-educated workers are now women and 25% of gen Z identify as LGBTQ +. The Guardian
• [New] The number of people at risk of Gender-based violence has tripled in two years. Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy
• [New] Acute malnutrition for children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women is expected to deteriorate in 2026, with nearly 4.2 million estimated cases of acute malnutrition, including more than 800,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition. Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy
• [New] Developing countries could increase their gross domestic products by an average of 23% if they closed gender gaps in the labour force. CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations
• Women made up only about 29% of the global tech workforce and nearly 28% of women's jobs were at risk from artificial intelligence, compared to 21% of men's. The United Nations Office at Geneva

Last updated: 05 March 2026