Breaking Barriers for Gender Rights and Justice through Research
September 28, 2026 - October 1, 2026
Breaking Barriers for Gender Rights and Justice through Research is the third edition of Springer Nature’s free virtual conference series exploring progress, challenges, and opportunities related to SDG 5: Gender Equality. A global gathering dedicated to advancing gender rights, justice, and action, this year’s conference builds on the momentum of the 2022 and 2024 editions while responding to the urgent challenges shaping gender equity today.
Guided by the UN Women International Women’s Day theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For all Women and Girls”, the 2026 programme brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and advocates to examine how gender inequalities evolve and how evidence-based research can drive meaningful change.
Across five days of panels and cross-disciplinary conversations, the conference explores the structural conditions that shape bodily autonomy, access to health, digital futures, and social participation. Each session examines a different dimension of gender justice, from reproductive rights and sexuality education to menstrual health as a human right, as well as the ways AI may reshape cognition and amplify gendered differences, and the cultural and political forces driving misogynistic extremism and online radicalisation.
The programme is designed to break silos and foster collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Participants will engage with leading voices in gender studies, public health, neuroscience, sociology, policy, and technology, creating a shared space for rigorous debate and collective action. As in previous years, the conference emphasises connections between early-career and senior researchers, between STEM and HSS disciplines, and between research and policy impact.