2026 Check-In: Are Women Actually Safer?
The Question We Keep Asking — And Avoiding
Every year, we are told that progress is being made. New policies are announced, awareness campaigns circulate, and statistics are framed as signs of improvement. Yet for many women across the UK, daily life still involves calculating risk. Texting friends when they get home, gripping keys while walking at night, thinking carefully about reporting harassment, and learning to live with systems that too often fail to protect them.
So as we move through 2026, it is worth asking a difficult question. Not whether progress has been promised, but whether women actually feel safer.
The answer, supported by data, lived experience, and recent events, is deeply complicated.
Violence Against Women: The Numbers Tell a Stark Story
Despite years of national conversation, violence against women remains pervasive. Two women are still killed every week by a current or former partner, according to the Office for National Statistics. Around one in four women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and police record millions of domestic abuse-related incidents each year, accounting for roughly one in five crimes. Sexual offences recorded by police have risen significantly over the past decade, increasing by more than thirty percent since 2015.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent lives shaped by fear, trauma, and loss.
Recent reporting in late 2025 and early 2026 has highlighted growing concern around domestic abuse-related suicides, with police acknowledging that coercive control is still poorly understood in investigations. Campaigners have warned that many deaths labelled as suicide may conceal long histories of abuse that were not properly recognised.
Case Context: Ongoing Failures to Protect
The legacy of cases like Sarah Everard, murdered by a serving police officer, and Fawziyah Javed, killed by her husband while pregnant, continues to shape public consciousness. More recently, domestic homicide reviews published across 2025 revealed repeated patterns of missed opportunities where agencies failed to intervene despite warning signs.
In early 2026, media coverage of police forces reviewing how they handle domestic abuse-linked deaths has reignited debate about whether lessons are truly being learned. Families continue to speak publicly about failures to act on repeated reports of violence, reinforcing the sense that systemic change remains incomplete.
Trust in Policing and the Justice System: A Confidence Crisis
Trust in institutions designed to protect women remains fragile. The Metropolitan Police continues to face scrutiny following ongoing investigations into misconduct and cultural reform efforts after a series of scandals involving officers accused of violence against women.
The case of David Carrick remains a stark reminder of institutional failure, while new reports in late 2025 raised concerns about the number of officers still under investigation for sexual misconduct. At the same time, rape prosecution rates remain extremely low, with many survivors withdrawing due to delays or lack of confidence in the process.
For many women, reporting violence still feels like stepping into a system that may not deliver justice.
Women’s Health: Waiting in Pain
Women’s healthcare remains a pressing issue in 2026. Professional bodies have warned that nearly three-quarters of a million women are waiting for gynaecological care in the UK. Stories continue to emerge of women waiting years for diagnoses of conditions such as endometriosis or experiencing repeated dismissal when seeking help for chronic pain.
In late 2025, renewed debate around menopause support and workplace protections also highlighted how women’s health needs are often treated as secondary concerns. Long waiting lists and uneven access to services continue to shape women’s daily realities.
Economic Pressures and Hidden Vulnerability
Economic inequality remains a critical factor shaping women’s safety. Women are more likely to work in lower-paid sectors, undertake unpaid caregiving, and experience financial instability following relationship breakdowns. Reports throughout 2025 and early 2026 have shown that single mothers remain among the groups most affected by rising living costs, with charities warning of increased demand for support services.
Financial dependence continues to be one of the strongest barriers preventing women from leaving abusive relationships, reinforcing the connection between economic policy and personal safety.
Online Abuse: A Growing Reality
Digital spaces have become a significant site of gendered hostility. Women who speak publicly often face harassment, threats, and coordinated trolling. High-profile women in journalism and politics reported increased online abuse during late 2025, sparking renewed calls for stronger enforcement of online safety regulations. For many women, participation in public debate still carries a personal cost.
Responding to “Women Already Have Rights”
One of the most common reactions when discussing women’s safety is the dismissive claim that “women already have rights.” It is often framed as a conversation-ender, as though legal equality on paper should silence any discussion of lived reality. But this argument ignores the gap between legislation and experience, and it shuts down necessary conversations about harm that continues every day.
Yes, women have legal rights. Women can vote, work, own property, and seek legal protection. But rights are meaningless if they are not consistently upheld, enforced, or accessible. Pointing to the existence of laws while women continue to be killed by partners, dismissed by institutions, or left waiting years for medical care is not evidence of equality. It is evidence of complacency.
When people say “women already have rights,” what they often mean is that they are uncomfortable confronting the persistence of inequality. It is easier to believe that the problem has been solved than to acknowledge the ways systems continue to fail. The reality is that having laws against domestic abuse does not stop abuse. Having policies on sexual violence does not guarantee justice. Having equality legislation does not eliminate bias.
This narrative also shifts attention away from accountability. It subtly suggests that women who ask for safety, fairness, or recognition are demanding something excessive, rather than highlighting that fundamental protections are still unevenly experienced. It frames advocacy as an unnecessary complaint instead of recognising it as a response to ongoing harm.
The question is not whether women have rights. The question is whether those rights are fully realised in practice. Until women can live without fear of violence, access healthcare without dismissal, and trust institutions to act fairly, the conversation is far from over. Rejecting the idea that equality has already been achieved is not about denying progress. It is about refusing to accept a version of reality that ignores the evidence in front of us.
Cultural Attitudes: Progress and Backlash
While awareness of gender inequality has increased, cultural backlash has also become more visible. Narratives suggesting that equality has already been achieved continue to circulate widely, obscuring ongoing structural inequalities. Subtle forms of bias, including victim blaming and expectations around emotional labour, continue to shape women’s experiences in workplaces, relationships, and public life.
Signs of Progress
It is important to acknowledge areas of progress. Conversations about coercive control, consent, and mental health are more visible than in previous decades. Survivor voices are increasingly centred in public discourse, and advocacy organisations continue to push for legislative and cultural change. Grassroots campaigns have led to improvements in workplace policies, education initiatives, and community support networks.
Looking Ahead
Meaningful progress depends on recognising the interconnected nature of these issues. Addressing violence requires not only policing reforms but also economic support, healthcare access, and cultural change. Long-term funding for domestic abuse services, transparent accountability within institutions, investment in women’s healthcare, and policies addressing inequality all remain essential.
Final Reflection
So, are women safer in 2026?
There has been progress, but there is also persistence of harm. For many women, safety remains conditional rather than guaranteed. A check-in is not about despair. It is about clarity. It is about recognising where we are so we can decide where to go next.
Organisations and Support
If this topic resonates with you, or if you or someone you know needs support, the following organisations provide help, information, and advocacy across the UK.
Refuge
Specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, including a 24 hour national helpline and refuge services.
https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
Women’s Aid
Practical guidance, live chat support, and resources for survivors of domestic abuse and those supporting them.
https://www.womensaid.org.uk
Victim Support
Confidential emotional and practical support for anyone affected by crime, whether or not it has been reported to police.
https://www.victimsupport.org.uk
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Personal safety advice, campaigning, and education to reduce violence and aggression.
https://www.suzylamplugh.org
Rape Crisis England and Wales
Support services, counselling, and information for survivors of sexual violence.
https://rapecrisis.org.uk
