On 7 March 2025, close to International Women's Rights Day, the European Commission published the Report on Gender Equality in the European Union (SWD(2025) 67 final).

The report takes stock of the main initiatives from March 2024 to February 2025 aimed at promoting gender equality in the key areas of the Gender Equality Strategy:

• Ending gender-based violence and challenging stereotypes;
• Thriving in a gender-equal economy;
• Leading equally in all sectors of society;
• Gender mainstreaming and funding;
• Promoting gender equality and women's empowerment worldwide.

The report focuses on key actions and results from EU institutions and Member States over the past year, while also providing encouraging examples of national initiatives and EU-funded projects.

2024 was a significant year for gender equality in the European Union. In May, the first Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, along with two Directives aimed at strengthening the role of equality bodies, was adopted. The first introduced EU-level definitions of various offences, particularly concerning cyberviolence, implementing and completing the EU's ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2023.

An EU survey on gender-based violence, published in November 2024, revealed that one in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence in adulthood, one in six has experienced sexual violence, including rape, and one in five has suffered domestic violence. The Eurobarometer on gender stereotypes showed some improvements but also an increasing polarisation of opinions between young women and men. Although three-quarters of respondents agree that gender equality benefits society, significant levels of agreement with stereotypical statements persist. Around a quarter of respondents consider it unattractive for women to express strong opinions in public.

The Gender Equality Index 2024 awarded the EU a score of 71 out of 100, reflecting an improvement of 7.9 points since 2010. At the current pace, achieving full gender equality would take approximately 60 years.

The European Commission has also adopted a Roadmap for Women's Rights, outlining the fundamental principles of gender equality for the years ahead. It helps define the work for a new post-2025 Gender Equality Strategy and serves as a compass towards greater equality in the EU.

This document will outline the concrete actions, measures, and initiatives that the EU intends to undertake in the coming years to sustain momentum on the political changes still required. In particular, it aims to ensure freedom from gender-based violence, higher health standards, equal pay and economic empowerment, work-life balance and care, equal job opportunities and adequate working conditions, quality and inclusive education, political participation and equal representation, and institutional mechanisms that guarantee women's rights.