GENEVA – States must take concrete action to dismantle deeply rooted gender stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination and gender-based violence against women and girls, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said in new guidance, warning that such stereotypes affect all areas of life, while emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, risk amplifying them and fuelling further gender-based violence.
The Committee presented its General Recommendation No. 41 at a public launch today, providing guidance to States on their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to tackle the root causes of gender stereotypes across all scopes of life.
“Gender stereotypes determine who is seen and whose knowledge matters in a society,” the Committee said, adding that it is critical for States Parties not only to address gender stereotypes themselves, but also the underlying attitudes, systems, and structures that give rise and sustain them.
On emerging technologies, the Committee warned, “Artificial intelligence systems may reproduce and amplify gender stereotypes and intersecting forms of discrimination against women.” It expressed particular concern about the use of generative and agentic AI to facilitate gender-based violence, including through non-consensual sexualised images and videos, deepfakes, impersonation, sexual extortion and targeted attacks on women leaders and politicians.
It called on States to regulate AI and digital platforms and require platforms to establish effective mechanisms for reporting and promptly removing abusive and discriminatory content, as well as providing remedies for victims. It also called for transparency, independent oversight and meaningful human review of AI-assisted decisions in education, employment, healthcare, financial services and the administration of justice.
On gender-based violence, the Committee recommended reviewing laws and institutional practices that treat such violence as a private or family matter, and “place responsibility on women for preventing or responding to violence” or “justify men’s aggression or control”.
In the justice system, including courts and law enforcement, gender stereotypes can affect how women’s testimony is assessed, influence legal decisions and lead to “miscarriage of justice”. It called for measures to hold judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials who perpetuate discriminatory stereotypes accountable, as well as for reviews of decisions affected by such bias.
Stereotypes portraying women as primary caregivers and men as breadwinners also reinforce economic inequality, the Committee said. It called for a more equal sharing of unpaid care responsibility, policies on maternity, paternity and parental leave, affordable care services, and measures to address unequal pay, barriers to promotion and bias in access to credit. It also urged reform of discriminatory laws on marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance and property.
In relation to healthcare, it warned that stereotypes can influence diagnoses, pain management and reproductive decisions. It called for informed consent before medical procedures, measures against obstetric violence, and the decriminalisation of abortion, alongside affordable access to abortion care and contraception.
The Committee warned that armed conflicts, climate-related disasters and humanitarian crises can intensify care responsibilities, normalise gender-based violence and reinforce stereotypes portraying “women as victims and not decision-makers”. It called for women’s effective participation in crisis responses and stronger accountability for discrimination and gender-based violence.
The Committee stressed that gender stereotypes often intersect with discrimination based on race, age, disability, economic status and migration status. It called on States to raise awareness, monitor progress and ensure effective remedies.
