Theme deep dive · Gender & Equity
Headline stat
78%
say gender-based violence exists in their society (2026)
Kectil Youth Speak 2025 and 2026
73%
say cultural or tribal traditions influence gender equality
52%
say males are preferred for job opportunities, down from 55%
24%
say their country supports unwed mothers
Three things the data shows
Agreement that gender-based violence exists in society fell from 85% to 78%.
Belief that society blames females for unwanted pregnancies eased from 66% to 63%.
Agreement that females have fewer rights and opportunities edged down from 52% to 51%.
2025 vs 2026
Top-2-box agreement (rated 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) for each tracked statement in this theme, sorted by largest year-over-year movement.
Gender-based violence remains the highest concern, though every tracked gender indicator declined in 2026.
Colored cells with an arrow mark statistically significant year-over-year changes at the 95% confidence level: green-teal for favorable shifts, red for unfavorable shifts. Gray cells without an arrow are not statistically significant.
Highest 2026 signal
Gender-based violence exists in society
78%
Largest YoY movement
Gender-based violence exists in society
-7 ptsFavorable
Gender-based violence exists in society
Society blames males for unwanted pregnancies
Cultural or tribal traditions influence gender equality
Society blames females for unwanted pregnancies
Males are preferred for job opportunities
Home country accepts toxic masculinity
Home country supports unwed mothers
Females have fewer rights and opportunities
Source: Kectil Youth Speak annual comparison tables, chart 35. Thinking about gender and equality in your home country... Base sizes: 2025 n=2,252; 2026 n=2,706. Measure: % selected top-2-box, rating 4/5 on a 5-point scale. Colored background + arrow = 2025-vs-2026 difference is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (two-proportion z-test; run only when both years have at least 35 respondents). Gray = not a statistically significant change.
2026 slide preview
These selected slide previews keep the deep dive connected to the presentation-ready Youth Speak evidence.
Slide 24
A gender slide on norms, inequality, and social signals.
Slide 25
A gender slide linking environmental and political-security differences.
Slide 35
The final-deck gender trend slide.
Slide 36
The 2026 regional differences view for gender balance.
Slide 37
The year-over-year regional gender-balance comparison.
“I hope that schools be opened for all girls of my country and support each other instead of fighting.”
Male, 21, Afghanistan
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