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] Through the AI-Ready ASEAN initiative, a partnership between the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org, 5.5 million people across ASEAN Member States will be trained in AI and digital skills, with a particular focus on women and youth. Antara
• [New] Closing the gender digital divide alone could lift 30 million women out of poverty and add USD 1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Antara
• [New] Women have a higher lifetime risk than men of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between healthy ageing and dementia that often affects quality of life but still allows people to live independently. Mega Doctor News
• [New] Women face disproportionate climate risks: In fragile contexts like Myanmar, women and girls suffer the most during climate disasters-14 times more likely to die than men - and exclusion from decision-making can be life-threatening. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• [New] Economic case for investing in women: Supporting women globally could add $1 trillion USD to GDP, reduce income losses from climate shocks in LMICs, and avoid trillions in economic losses annually. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• [New] The Food and Drug Administration plans to discard warning labels for hormone therapies for menopausal women, undoing decades-old language cautioning that treatments may increase the risk of cancer or heart disease. Healthcare Dive
• [New] In Sweden, a team at Lund University has trained an AI model on mammograms that can identify patients who could safely skip sentinel lymph node biopsy, sparing up to 40% of women from unnecessary axillary surgery. Cancerworld Magazine |
• [New] Speakers will explore opportunities from multiple angles to align the ecosystem, helping enable Canada to capitalize on the estimated $37 billion economic opportunity created by closing the gender health gap. Femtech Canada
• [New] Running until 2028, it will support women aged 18 to 35 from lower-income communities in Singapore through job-readiness and well-being training designed to build confidence and strengthen employability. Fintech Singapore
• [New] Women currently represent one in five professionals in India's technology workforce - a figure projected to quadruple by 2027, with over 3.3 lakh women expected to hold AI roles. Indian Startup Times
• [New] 73% of female journalists surveyed experienced online violence, with 25% of the messages they received threatening physical violence and 18% threatening sexual violence. African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
• [New] As more women in UAE enter their mid-life prime, that means supporting women and families to embrace every stage of life with strength, confidence, and hope. Gulf Business
• [New] At least 6,000 men a year with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer will get access to the novel treatment, also known as Nubeqa and made by Bayer, on the NHS. The Guardian
• [New] A new book argues that America would benefit if more men adopted the values of vulnerability and mutual care that are usually attributed to women. The Atlantic
• [New] A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found women with intermediate-risk breast cancer can also skip postmastectomy radiation without raising their risk for recurrence. Cancer Today
• [New] Queer Momentum will continue to advocate for a strengthened commitment and deeper investment, because Canada cannot work for everyone if it does not work for women and queer people. Oxfam Canada
• The CDC will no longer recommend routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children. AJMC
• Poland will soon have 500,000 men under arms, has ordered military training for all Polish men and plans to provide military training to 100,000 volunteers annually by 2027. The American Legion

Last updated: 20 November 2025