This International Women's Day, the Unstereotype Alliance stands firmly behind this year's theme: Rights. Justice. Action. because for millions of women and girls around the world, harmful social norms remain one of the most persistent barriers to both. Women and girls continue to face entrenched obstacles, even pushback, to equal justice. If progress continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps. We refuse to accept that timeline.
The role of advertising and media in demanding equal rights and justice
This year, IWD 2026 calls for action to dismantle the structural barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.
When stereotypes go unchallenged, they don't just linger on screens – they shape attitudes, restrict opportunities, and deny women and girls the rights and justice they deserve.
Harmful portrayals in content shape the attitudes that drive real-world discrimination, harassment, and violence. Unchallenged stereotypes restrict opportunities and deny women and girls the rights and justice they deserve – in every space, online and off.
Advertising and media play a critical role in shaping culture and making online spaces safer for women and girls. Portrayals, narratives, and representations in advertising can actively mould attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours.
A Call to Action
We are committed to eradicating stereotypes and challenging the harmful social norms that hold women and girls back. A future free from stereotypes isn't just our vision — it is a necessary step toward a world where every woman and girl has full, equal access to rights and justice.
The Unstereotype Alliance works to ensure advertising makes the world more inclusive for women and girls everywhere. We urge industry leaders to:
Create content that challenges attitudes denying women and girls their rights.
Invest in diverse storytelling that centers women's voices, experiences, and leadership in digital spaces.
Challenge narratives that normalize inequality.
We call onour members, and the industry to stand with us.
Join us. Unstereotype your content. Be part of the solution.
Connected to International Women’s Day is the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), taking place from 9–19 March 2026 at UN Headquarters. This year will focus on a powerful priority theme: ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls which highlights the urgent need for inclusive and equitable legal systems, the elimination of discriminatory laws and practices, and the dismantling of structural barriers that continue to undermine women’s rights.
The review theme will assess global progress on women’s participation and decision‑making in public life and the elimination of violence, reaffirming both as essential to achieving gender equality. CSW70 brings together governments, UN entities, and civil society from around the world, serving as one of the largest global gatherings dedicated to advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls everywhere.
