Disability inclusion and gender equality are deeply intertwined. Equal rights cannot truly be realized if women and girls with disabilities continue to be left out of advocacy, protections, or public policies meant to support them. A woman cannot be said to have full voting rights if mobility challenges prevent her from reaching a polling station. Freedom from gender-based violence is hollow if survivors with visual or hearing impairments cannot access justice. Ending digital abuse is impossible without ensuring safe and accessible technology for women and girls living with disabilities.
Yet, despite the shared goals of social justice movements, many efforts to promote the rights of women and girls overlook the realities faced by those who also experience ableism alongside sexism. This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December) highlights why disability rights and gender equality must advance together, not separately.
Intersectionality reminds us that although many women experience similar barriers—gender-based violence, unequal caregiving burdens, digital harassment, or exclusion from decision-making spaces—each woman’s experience is shaped by different layers of identity and power. Racism, classism, ageism, and ableism intersect with sexism, creating compounded barriers that demand tailored and inclusive responses.
One area where this overlap is especially evident is unpaid care work. Women provide 16 billion hours of unpaid labour every day, including caring for family members with disabilities and meeting household needs. This invisible labour is foundational to society, yet undervalued and unsupported. The absence of equitable care systems places people with disabilities at risk of neglect or coercive treatment and forces women and girls with disabilities into heavy caregiving roles without recognition or resources.
A strong care system acknowledges this reality, shares responsibility across communities, and invests in disability-inclusive services that enable all people to live with dignity. UN Women is calling for a global care revolution—one that improves support for caregivers and ensures quality care for those who need it most.
Technology is another powerful tool with the potential to expand independence, communication, and access to services for women and girls with disabilities. Through global partnerships such as ATscale, UN Women is advancing the development and use of assistive technologies. But as digital progress accelerates, technology-facilitated violence is rising alongside it, affecting up to 58 per cent of women and fuelled by rapidly evolving artificial intelligence.
Without the participation of people with disabilities in AI design, systems often rely on biased datasets that ignore accessibility needs or misrepresent people with disabilities, particularly women. From job screening to education to healthcare, the consequences can be deeply harmful. UN Women advocates for AI built on universal design, stronger protections, and diverse development teams to ensure technology expands opportunity rather than restricts it.
Accountability and justice also remain critical. Despite progress in legal reforms worldwide, policies too often treat gender and disability separately. For many women and girls with disabilities, accessing law enforcement or court systems is difficult—and sometimes impossible. Barriers such as the absence of sign-language interpreters, reliance on abusive caregivers for transport or communication, and discriminatory assumptions about credibility prevent many survivors from seeking justice.
True equality requires systems that recognize the intersecting realities of women and girls with disabilities. UN Women continues to push for integrated approaches, stronger institutional frameworks, and justice systems designed to serve everyone.
The path forward is clear: women’s rights and disability rights rise together. By centring the voices and experiences of women and girls with disabilities, strengthening care systems, building inclusive technology, and removing barriers to justice, we move closer to a world where every woman and girl can live with dignity, safety, and equality.
