Women's rights and gender justice Ending poverty and injustice starts with gender justice and rights for women

Gender discrimination and persecution threaten the safety and dignity of millions of women around the world. Queer, trans, and nonbinary people fight for their human rights on the margins of a patriarchal world that values domination over care, and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women are increasingly threatened. Meanwhile, although women and girls are largely responsible for work that is vital for our collective health and well-being, many experience violence, poverty, and oppression within exclusionary economic systems that benefit the ultra-wealthy. These conditions fall hardest on those most exploited and overlooked, including queer women of color, immigrant care workers, and people with disabilities.

Oxfam advocates for gender equality so that every person can thrive regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. We advance transformative feminist leadership so that women in all their diversity can become change agents—defending their rights, controlling their time and resources, and shaping their own destinies free from violence. We support girls’ education in countries affected by conflict, and we support men to challenge harmful gender stereotypes, reimagine masculinities so that they are rooted in care, and shoulder more household responsibilities. We strive to become a feminist organization that reflects critically on power and patriarchy in our actions and culture to more effectively fight inequality around the world.

We believe a more just world recognizes the indispensable value of caregivers and care workers. We campaign for policy change to support paid and unpaid caregivers of all genders, including robust paid leave policies and workplace protections in the U.S. that build the foundation for a more equal and caring economy and society. We advocate for equal pay for equal work to close the gender wage gap, and we call on wealthy companies to pay their fair share of taxes to better fund social safety net and care programs.