U.S. President Donald Trump entered his second term in January 2025, leaving the nation questioning the future of America’s most pressing issues. A key point of debate between President Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris during the 2024 election campaign was the question of abortion in the states. The Washington Post collected both individual’s stances on the matter, with Harris having an unwavering opinion of protecting abortion and reproductive rights, while Trump’s stance has appeared inconsistent: calling himself the most “pro-life president,” yet later criticizing Florida’s six-week abortion ban as too strict.
The recent surge of dispute on abortion has brought the topic of women’s rights to the forefront of many US citizens’ minds. As the nation grapples with the future of reproductive freedoms and gender equality, it’s important to examine how women’s rights in the United States compare to those in other countries. While its current state in America may seem appalling, the treatment of women in other countries, specifically Asian countries, is even worse.
Societal Treatment
Many Asian countries emphasize male dominance in the family and society as a whole, although the strong Asian mother figure is more often seen in American media. East Asian nations such as Korea, Japan, and China all share Confucian roots. Confucianism is a largely patriarchal philosophy where men ultimately have all the authority.
The Confucian “three obediences (三从四德)” are the expectations that women should obey their father before marriage, their husband after marriage, and their son if widowed. This belief essentially denies women all sense of autonomy throughout every stage of their life. Although the “three obediences” are not actively practiced in modern day society, the impact they had on societies remains seen, even today in individuals with the more “traditional” view that women should hold the least amount of power.
Aside from societal inequality, Asian countries have the worst gender pay gaps. In data from 2022, South Korea topped the charts with a 31.2% difference in men and women’s full time earnings. This means that women earn 68.8 cents to a man’s dollar in South Korea. Following South Korea is Israel and Japan, with 25.4% and 24.9% differences, respectively.
This disparity can also be connected back to the presence of Confucianism. Due to its strict hierarchy dictating that men are superior to women, workplaces are more male-dominated and men are prioritized for promotions and leadership roles.
Abortion
Currently one of the most controversial topics, abortion rights are under threat in the United States. Surprisingly, the majority of Asian countries allow abortion for at least the reason of saving the mother’s life. Only three countries prohibit abortion altogether: Iraq, Laos, and the Philippines. 17 out of 50 countries and territories in Asia allow abortion without restriction as to reason, including Armenia, China, Mongolia, North Korea, and Vietnam. Despite the fact that these countries are far from reaching gender equality, a woman’s right to make decisions for her own body remains intact in most Asian countries.
Women’s Legal Rights
Considering the vast size of Asia, the status of women’s rights differ greatly from country to country. It’s important to recognize that Middle Eastern countries are Asian countries and that topics concerning Asian countries as a whole refers to those in the Middle East as well. To truly highlight the stark difference in Asian women’s rights depending on the country, we can compare them between Taiwan and Afghanistan, arguably the best and worst countries for female rights.
Taiwan’s legal rights for women are protected under Article 7 of their Constitution, stating, “All citizens of the Republic of China, irrespective of sex, religion, race, class, or party affiliation, shall be equal before the law”. Additionally, its Article 10 states that the government will “protect the dignity of women, safeguard their personal safety, eliminate sexual discrimination, and further substantive gender equality.”
In Afghanistan, the Taliban holding power means that women lack basic human rights. Women and girls are forbidden from an education past primary school (grade six). They are also banned from participating in sports, visiting parks and public baths, and traveling more than 72 kilometers or appearing in public without mahram (a man related to them by blood or marriage).
This difference in just the legal rights of a woman between these two Asian countries makes it clear that despite the progress made in more developed nations, women still suffer from systemic sexism in other countries. Unbeknownst to many Americans, the human rights of women and girls were not protected by the Constitution until 2025, when former President Joe Biden formally recognized the Equal Rights Amendment as the United States Constitution’s 28th Amendment on January 17. The amendment states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
As our global society evolves and strives to become more equal, we can see that strides are being taken towards gender equality in many of these countries. It is likely that the United States will not achieve gender equality for quite some time, but activism and speaking out against discriminatory laws and societal practices will support the fight.
Being aware of women’s rights in other countries promotes global understanding of the problem and furthers its awareness.
