Foreign Policy Live The Good News on Women’s Rights
Nov 28, 2025
Lyric Thompson, founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, dives into the unexpected global progress on women's rights. She highlights advancements in political representation through quotas and commendable actions by leaders, like Mexico’s president confronting gender violence. Thompson also discusses the complexities of cultural misogyny and the essential role NGOs play in sustaining progress. With insights on feminist foreign policy, she urges young women to vote, run, and lead for a more equal future.
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Progress Persists Despite Bad Headlines
- Global women's-rights progress is happening in many countries despite negative headlines.
- Movements learn from setbacks, organize, and produce measurable gains across regions.
Quotas Accelerate Political Representation
- Many countries adopt quotas and affirmative-action rules to boost political representation of women.
- These measures speed change and are proven to work even if parity may still take decades.
Mexico's President Turned Assault Into Policy Moment
- Mexico's president publicly reported being groped and used it to highlight femicide and violence against women.
- Lyric Thompson praised the response as setting an important example for institutions to act.