Strong democracies directly foster women's rights and empowerment, yet authoritarian regimes increasingly adopt gender reforms for legitimacy without democratizing or adopting egalitarian attitudes. Democratic effects materialize primarily through accumulated democratic experience rather than regime transitions alone, as electoral accountability, open civic spaces, and dispersed power structures enable women's movements to mobilize effectively. Gender equality advances through coordinated efforts across legal, institutional, and societal domains, with democracy serving as a necessary but insufficient condition for sustained transformation in women's status.