When America Falls Behind, the World Pays Attention: U.S. Policy and Global Impact

Yesterday, we examined how power, punishment, and control continue to shape women’s access to public life. Despite progress in education and healthcare, women remain dramatically underrepresented in political leadership and face systemic pushback when they step into public roles. From online harassment and gender-based violence to restrictive dress codes and cultural silencing, women’s visibility in public space is still met with resistance. We explored how these forms of control are not incidental—they’re strategic tools used to preserve existing power structures. True equality, we argued, requires more than inclusion—it demands transformation.

Today, we look at what happens when one of the most powerful nations in the world fails to protect those rights. The United States has long positioned itself as a global leader on gender equality—but in recent years, it has become a cautionary tale. From the fall of Roe v. Wade to the export of online misogyny, America’s internal regression is sending shockwaves far beyond its borders. And when the U.S. backslides, the rest of the world feels it.

The United States has long positioned itself as a global leader on human rights. For decades, American policymakers, philanthropists, and activists shaped global norms on women’s rights—championing reproductive health, gender equity, and legal protections through foreign aid, diplomacy, and international development.

From the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action to U.S.-funded reproductive health programs around the world, the U.S. projected itself as a defender of gender justice on the global stage. Its influence was far-reaching—not only because of its economic power, but because of its symbolic position as a constitutional democracy.

But today, the U.S. is also one of the most visible examples of democratic backsliding when it comes to gender equality. The reversal of abortion rights, the rise of anti-feminist and pro-male extremist movements, and the growing attacks on gender-affirming care, comprehensive sex education, and diversity initiatives have deeply undermined America’s credibility—and emboldened anti-gender forces worldwide.

The world is watching. And the consequences are far-reaching.

⚖️ From Roe to Regression: The Fall of Federal Abortion Rights

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion rights. The fallout was immediate:

• Over a dozen states implemented near-total abortion bans.

• Millions of women—especially in the South and Midwest—lost access to local reproductive care.

• Some hospitals refused to treat pregnancy complications, including miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, for fear of violating unclear laws.

• Providers began facing threats, digital surveillance, and criminal prosecution.

The decision sent shockwaves globally. The United Nations called it a “huge blow to women’s human rights.” WHO officials and global health experts warned it would lead to rising maternal mortality, unsafe procedures, and increased health inequities.

Internationally, the U.S. became one of only four countries in the past 20 years to restrict abortion laws—alongside Poland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. This placed the U.S. out of step with global trends, which overwhelmingly favor expanded reproductive rights.

More than just a domestic policy shift, Dobbs emboldened anti-abortion and anti-gender movements around the world. Lawmakers in countries such as Hungary, Brazil, and Uganda have invoked U.S. rhetoric to justify their own restrictions, citing the fall of Roe as proof that “Western democracies” are rethinking gender equality.

The symbolic damage was immense. For many global activists, the U.S. went from being a key ally to a cautionary tale—proof that gender rights can be undone, even in long-standing democracies.

🩸 Criminalizing Survival: When Law Punishes, Not Protects

The erosion of rights in the United States goes far beyond reproductive care. In many cases, the legal system not only fails to protect women—it actively punishes them for trying to survive.

Thousands of women—disproportionately Black, Brown, and Indigenous—are incarcerated for actions rooted in self-defense, survival, or coercion. These women are not anomalies; they are a reflection of how gender, race, and poverty intersect in systems of punishment.

• Some are serving long sentences for killing abusive partners in self-defense, often after years of documented violence.

• Others are criminalized for so-called "failure to protect"—charged with neglect or complicity in child abuse cases even when they were themselves victims of domestic violence.

• Survivors of trafficking and exploitation are frequently prosecuted for crimes they were coerced into committing.

This punitive response is especially harsh for women who are poor, LGBTQ+, disabled, or undocumented. They are less likely to be believed, more likely to be arrested, and often lack access to competent legal defense.

The contradiction is stark: the same systems that claim to protect women from violence are the ones that surveil, blame, and incarcerate them. In effect, survival becomes a crime, and legal “protections” are revealed to be conditional—extended only to those deemed sympathetic or respectable.

Until self-defense is treated as a right for all—not just for white, middle-class victims—and until legal systems center the lived realities of survivors, the promise of justice will remain out of reach for many.

🌍 The Global Gag Rule: When U.S. Policy Crosses Borders

The reach of U.S. gender policy doesn’t stop at its borders. Through its global aid programs, the U.S. exerts massive influence on health care systems around the world—especially in the Global South. And one of the most harmful examples of that influence is the Global Gag Rule.

Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the Global Gag Rule prohibits foreign NGOs that receive U.S. funding from providing, referring, or even discussing abortion services—even with their own, non-U.S. funds. It has been repeatedly reinstated by Republican administrations and revoked by Democratic ones, creating cycles of chaos and instability in global health networks.

• In sub-Saharan Africa, the Gag Rule has forced the closure of trusted clinics that provide HIV treatment, contraception, maternal health services, and sexual education.

• Studies show the policy leads to higher abortion rates, not fewer, as women lose access to contraception and are forced to seek unsafe, underground procedures.

• The policy disproportionately affects rural women, adolescents, and marginalized groups—those who already face barriers to care.

Reinstating or expanding the Global Gag Rule remains a top priority for far-right U.S. lawmakers, who see it as a way to impose domestic culture wars onto global health policy. Its effects are not just bureaucratic—they are fatal.

The Global Gag Rule illustrates how U.S. domestic politics can destabilize entire health ecosystems abroad, silencing providers, endangering lives, and undermining decades of progress in sexual and reproductive health. It turns U.S. foreign aid into a weapon—punishing the world’s most vulnerable to score points at home.

🤝 The Anti-Gender Alliance: How the U.S. Fuels Global Backlash

While the United States once helped shape the international consensus around gender equality, it has increasingly become both a battleground and a broker in the rise of a global anti-gender movement.

At international forums—including the United Nations, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and the World Health Assembly—U.S. delegations under conservative administrations have aligned with authoritarian and theocratic states to weaken or remove references to:

• Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)

• Comprehensive sex education

• LGBTQ+ protections

• The use of the word “gender” itself, often replaced with “women and girls” to erase broader identities

In recent years, U.S. diplomats have stood alongside governments like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Egypt, and Brazil to challenge or obstruct progressive language in global agreements. These alliances are not accidental—they are part of a strategic transnational network that sees feminism, queer rights, and bodily autonomy as existential threats to the social order.

This movement—often referred to as the “anti-gender” alliance—brings together a diverse mix of actors:

• Religious fundamentalists who seek to enforce patriarchal norms under the banner of faith

• Far-right populists who rally against feminism and LGBTQ+ rights as “Western decadence”

• U.S.-based think tanks and Christian nationalist groups who export anti-abortion, anti-trans, and anti-feminist messaging across borders

Together, they promote what they call a defense of “the natural family,” “traditional values,” and “parental rights.” But the real goal is to roll back human rights gains, dismantle sexual and reproductive health systems, and reassert patriarchal control over family, sexuality, and identity.

U.S. influence in this movement is not peripheral—it’s central. American organizations provide funding, legal frameworks, and political cover for anti-gender initiatives worldwide. They train local leaders, draft legislative templates, and use international platforms to normalize gender backlash as a legitimate political stance.

The result is a rising tide of coordinated policy reversals, cultural censorship, and legal discrimination—from anti-trans legislation in the U.S. to abortion bans in Eastern Europe to attacks on gender education in Africa and Latin America.

What was once fringe rhetoric is now mainstream governance. And the U.S., long a promoter of human rights, now finds itself enabling the erosion of the very norms it helped build.

This is not just a culture war. It is a global strategy—one that must be named, understood, and resisted.

📲 Cultural Export: The U.S. Role in Spreading Online Misogyny

As much as the United States influences formal global policy, it also plays a powerful role in shaping the informal cultural terrain—especially online. The global rise in anti-feminist, pro-male radicalization is being powered not only by local actors, but by content created, monetized, and amplified on U.S.-based platforms.

• Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are home to thousands of influencers who broadcast anti-women, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-democracy ideologies to massive global audiences.

• Some of the most recognizable voices in the “manosphere”—Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and other red-pill influencers—either originate in the U.S. or build their brands using American cultural tropes of masculinity, capitalism, and white supremacy.

• This content is often translated, replicated, and monetized across languages and regions, shaping youth culture in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

The lack of digital regulation in the U.S. plays a major role. American tech companies are not held accountable for the spread of hate and disinformation in the same way they might be in Europe or other jurisdictions. As a result, misogyny has become an American export—spread not through official diplomacy, but through algorithms and ad revenue.

This influence is especially dangerous for young people. Teen boys across the world are being radicalized by U.S.-based content creators who frame feminism as a conspiracy, equity as emasculation, and women’s rights as a threat to male survival. This pipeline of digital hate normalizes gender-based violence, silences women, and fuels authoritarian politics worldwide.

In short, what happens on U.S. platforms doesn’t stay in the U.S. It shapes the global conversation about gender—and it’s increasingly turning that conversation toward hate.

🌎 Mixed Signals: A Divided Nation Sends Conflicting Messages

While federal protections for reproductive and gender rights have eroded in recent years, the United States is not a monolith. Beneath the surface of national regression, many U.S. states are advancing bold protections and policies.

• California, New York, Illinois, and Washington have passed laws to protect abortion access, fund reproductive healthcare, and shield providers from out-of-state prosecution.

• Several states have expanded gender-affirming care, built networks of abortion funds, and launched public education campaigns to counter disinformation.

• In Kansas, Michigan, and Ohio, voters have rejected anti-abortion ballot initiatives—even in conservative strongholds—demonstrating widespread public support for bodily autonomy.

This internal divide sends conflicting messages to the world:

• Is the United States a leader in gender equality or a cautionary tale?

• Is it a sanctuary for rights—or a warning of how quickly rights can be lost?

For global allies, these contradictions complicate advocacy and diplomacy. For anti-gender movements, they provide rhetorical cover: “Even the U.S. is moving backwards.”

The reality is that the United States is both a site of backlash and a site of resistance. And the outcome of that internal battle will have ripple effects far beyond its borders.

🔁 The World Reacts: Resistance and Recommitment

The global response to U.S. regression on gender rights has been swift and forceful. For many, the fall of Roe v. Wade was not just a national crisis—it was a wake-up call. In the face of backlash, movements around the world have chosen not retreat, but recommitment.

• France became the first country to vote to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution, sending a powerful signal that reproductive freedom is not negotiable.

• In Mexico, the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide in 2023, building on state-level victories and feminist mobilization.

• Across Latin America, the Green Wave continues to grow—drawing energy from both local struggles and global outrage over U.S. rollbacks.

The U.S. has become a cautionary tale: a reminder that rights not protected by law can be erased by politics. But that caution is also galvanizing action—from feminist diplomacy at the U.N. to grassroots organizing on every continent.

🧭 Where We Go from Here: A Global Mandate

The United States matters. Not because it is a perfect model—but because of its outsized influence on global funding, diplomacy, technology, and culture.

When the U.S. backslides, anti-gender forces around the world take note. They celebrate. They copy. They escalate. But when U.S. civil society fights back—when voters protect rights at the ballot box, when communities fund care networks, when survivors demand justice—it also inspires movements across the globe.

This moment demands more than alarm. It calls for bold, coordinated action:

• Codify gender equality in constitutions and national legal frameworks—so it cannot be undone by a single court or election

• Fund and protect community-based care infrastructure, mutual aid networks, and grassroots organizing

• Stand firm in international spaces against anti-gender alliances seeking to roll back global norms

• Hold tech platforms accountable for enabling digital violence, radicalization, and disinformation

• Support survivors, decriminalize self-defense, and center healing—not punishment

• Listen to youth movements and feminist leaders from the Global South, whose strategies, resilience, and clarity must shape the next era

We are not powerless. We are not alone. But we must act like the future of women’s rights—here and everywhere—depends on it.

Because it does.

🧾 Conclusion – The Fight for Women’s Rights Is Global, Fragile, and Far From Over

🌍 Final Reflections: The Stakes of 2025

The global state of women’s rights in 2025 is a story of both progress and peril. For every milestone—more girls in school, more women in politics, more access to reproductive care—there’s a reminder that no right is permanent.

From Afghanistan’s forced erasure of women from public life, to the U.S. rollback of abortion rights, to the digital rise of misogynist radicalization, we are seeing clear signs of regression—not just in policies, but in power, safety, and autonomy.

What this report makes clear is that gender equality isn’t just about laws or representation. It’s about:

• Who holds power

• Who is heard and believed

• Who is safe in public

• Whose labor is valued

• And who gets to decide what happens to their own body

The pushback against women’s rights is real. It is coordinated. And it is political.

But so is the response.

From Iranian girls burning hijabs, to Latin American feminists rewriting abortion law, to Black women organizing for birth justice in the U.S.—resistance is alive and rising.

To move forward, we must treat gender equality not as a side issue, but as a barometer of democracy, peace, and prosperity. When women lose rights, it signals broader authoritarian decline. But when women gain power, we all rise.

This is not a passing moment. It is the defining fight of a generation.

And it belongs to all of us.