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In 2026, women are still not permitted entry at any of these nine places around the globe—from entire islands to men’s clubs in the United States.
Whether it’s under the guise of religion, laws, restrictions, or outdated traditions, discrimination against women is still very much present in 2026. Here in the United States, for instance, we’re still fighting for paid maternity leave on the federal level, bodily autonomy with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as access to basic health services, and closing the pay gap. In other countries, women are banned from universities, entering a business without a head covering, or ascending a particular mountain or entering a temple.
Sometimes sex-based discrimination is blatantly insidious or seemingly innocuous. For instance, it’s not always the case that women are barred from specific physical spaces anymore, but are denied the right to work certain professions or join particular organizations. Or it’s that their bodily autonomy is entirely restricted with severe penalties (like jail time) or their access to education is flat out denied. While some of the “places” on this list are actual sites where women can’t enter, others are more symbolic, with deep-rooted misogyny built into the very foundations of the traditions themselves.
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Universities and Schools Beyond the 6th Grade
WHERE: Afghanistan
In 2022, the Taliban banned women from all universities in Afghanistan, citing an attempt to preserve “national interest” and “women’s honor.” Even more alarming, since 2021, young girls are also banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade. This devastating discriminatory act impacts over 2.2 million girls, not to mention the entire social, economic, and equitable structures of the nation. It’s a tragedy beyond measure, and UNESCO reports that since seizing power, the Taliban has also implemented more than 70 decrees that violate the rights of girls and women. For more information, including what you can do to help, visit UNESCO’s dedicated website on protecting the right to education for women in Afghanistan or the United Nations’ website.
2 OF 9
The Pulpit as a Priest in the Roman Catholic Church
WHERE: Vatican City
Women can hold some professional roles in the Vatican, but they’re still barred from becoming a priestess or bishop. The late Pope Francis explained the reasoning behind this in a 2022 interview, citing something (note my sarcasm here) about the Petrine principle and the Marian principle, which deals with the “principle of femininity” of the Church itself. Essentially, because the Church is “a mirror of the woman,” there’s conflict there? Theology aside, women have been serving in lay ministry (like nuns) within the Roman Catholic Church for over 1,500 years, as well as in administrative roles, but they can’t perform the official sacraments or consecrate the Eucharist (aka conduct Mass). But given that Mary Magdalene was the first one Jesus instructed to share the news of his resurrection, we truly wonder how Christ would feel about all this…especially well into the year of our Lord 2026.
3 OF 9
Masonic Lodges
WHERE: The United States
Masonic lodges have been around in the U.S. since the 18th century, but even after all that time, women are still not allowed to become official members. Nearly 15 presidents were part of freemasonry, a secret society known for their cryptic rituals, initiations, and politically-powerful members, and conspiracies surrounding freemasons (and their influence) have drummed up a lot of attention over the years. But due to the brotherhood’s strict hierarchical history and notorious secrecy, women have been excluded from membership in most all mainstream Grand Lodges within the United States. Instead, women can only join the Order of the Eastern Star, a charitable organization associated with freemasonary.
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Anywhere in Public Without a Veil/Hijab
WHERE: Iran
A restriction in Iran, which was approved by parliament in 2023 under the “Protection of the Family through Promoting the Culture of Hijab and Chastity” law, prohibits women from being in public without a hijab or head covering. If they’re uncovered, or show any signs of “unveiling” or “bad dressing”—including exposing any body parts below the neck, other than the hands and feet—they can face severe penalties, such as jail time, flogging, and lofty fines, according to Amnesty.org.
Ed. Note: This article was written prior to the United States and Israel’s coordinated airstrikes against Iran and the killing of its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Hospitals and Health Clinics Without a Hijab
WHERE: Iran
Women are also barred from receiving health and educational services if they fail to comply with the compulsory hijab requirements. In Tehran, however, The Guardian reported in December 2025 that many women are “openly flouting the dress code rules,” particularly after the backlash against the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, a 22-year-old woman who was taken into custody by the Iranian authorities for allegedly breaching the dress code rules by “improperly” wearing her hijab. She was beaten into a coma and died only three days later. The women of Iran are fighting back against such injustices, and the ensuing protests that followed Amini’s death have shown just how angry they are at the ultra-conservative Iranian government. Currently, experts at the UN are calling for a repeal of the controversial bill.
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Mount Omine (or Mount Sanjo)
WHERE: Japan
A sacred mountain in the Nara Prefecture, Mount Omine is considered to be the birthplace of Shugendo, a mystical religion that blends Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, and animism and is often associated with seclusion in the mountains. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Mount Omine is the destination for pilgrims and trainees for the Yamabushi, aka the ascetics of the Shugendo faith.
However, for 1,300 years, women have been famously banned from ascending the mountain given its “holy” status. As such, they’re also banned from the Ōminesan-ji Temple, which is located at the top of the mountain, since apparently women are considered unclean and a distraction within the religious order.
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The Bohemian Club
WHERE: San Francisco, California
Founded in 1872 in San Francisco, the Bohemian Club has maintained a strict, invite-only membership for…men. It was founded by a group of “male artists, writers, actors, lawyers, and journalists,” all with some degree of wealth and power, and has counted figures such as Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and Mark Twain as members. In recent years, there’s been considerable controversy surrounding the notorious boy’s-only club, including protests and allegations of wage theft from employees and unfair labor practices. While women can’t join or become members (not that we’d want to!), a 1980s court ruling required the club to hire women as staff.
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Mount Athos
WHERE: Greece
Located in Northern Greece, Mount Athos (aka “The Holy Mountain”) is considered sacred in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and famously bars entry to all women. According to the UNESCO World Heritage site, all women are forbidden on the peninsula, which has several monasteries with around 1,400 monks living there year-round. The gender ban called the “Avaton rule” is allowed due to a “peculiar self-administered system under Hellenic Constitutional law.” But it’s even stricter than that: women aren’t even allowed within 500m of the coast, nor are any female animals (except, strangely enough, for cats). Some monks, like Mihailo Tolotos, an orphan who was raised there, have died without ever seeing a woman in real life.
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Okinoshima Island
WHERE: Japan
Another World Heritage Site in Japan, this island is generally off-limits to all tourists, with the exception of priests and some researchers. However, women are explicitly banned, since the island is sacred in the Shinto religion, due to beliefs surrounding purity and menstruation. A solitary priest lives on the island and takes care of the temple there, so it has an official population of exactly one. Technically, however, the priests rotate in intervals to take care of the temple and pray to Tagorihime, the daughter of the sun goddess Amaterasu and one of the three Munakata goddesses. She’s often associated with fog, the sea, and the protection of sailors/maritime safety. According to the Tokyo Weekender, one theory for the ban of women on the island is not only the belief in the impurity of menstrual blood, but that “some Japanese goddesses have been known to be distrustful of potential ‘rivals.’” The public can, however, visit Okitsu-miya Yohaisho (a worship hall on the north side of Oshima) to worship from afar.