An absorbent article having a wearer-facing side and a garment-facing side, the absorbent article extending a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and having a front end portion, a rear end portion and a crotch portion located intermediate the end portions (2,3), wherein the absorbent article comprises a topsheet arranged on the wearer-facing side, a backsheet arranged on the garment-facing side, an absorbent core enclosed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and a pair of standing gathers (14,15), which are arranged on the wearer-facing-side and extend substantially in the longitudinal direction, the topsheet comprising a sheet material comprising a nonwoven material comprising polypropylene-containing fibers and each of the standing gathers (14,15) comprising a sheet material comprising a nonwoven material comprising polypropylene-containing fibers characterized in that the topsheet sheet material has a stiffness from 2.3 to 20 mm/N and each standing gather (14,15) sheet material has a stiffness from 2.0 to 20 mm/N, wherein stiffness is measured according to the softness test method as described in the specification, the topsheet sheet material has a softness of 4.5 dB V^2 rms or less and the standing gather sheet material (14,15) has a softness of 5.0 dB V^2 rms or less, wherein softness is measured on a surface forming part of an outer-facing surface of the absorbent article, of each sheet material and according to the softness test method as described in the specification, and the topsheet sheet material has a smoothness of 4 dB V^2 rms or less and the standing gather (14,15) sheet material has a smoothness of 7.0 dB V^2 rms or less, wherein softness is measured on the surface forming part of an outer-facing surface of the absorbent article, of each sheet material and according to the softness test method as described in the specification and wherein the polypropylene-containing fibers of the topsheet sheet material and the polypropylene-containing fibers of each of the standing gathers sheet material contain a slip agent and wherein the nonwoven material of the topsheet sheet material and the nonwoven material of each of the standing gather sheet material comprise a side, wherein the polypropylene-containing fibers of each of the nonwoven materials are bound together by an alternating bonding pattern of individualized bonded areas which areas are in the form of rods which are arranged in the cross direction of the web, the alternating pattern of the individualized bonded areas defining a non-bonded area, the surface of the bonded surface area being from 5 to 30 % of the total surface area of the side and the surface of the non-bonded area being in the range of 70 to 95 % of the total surface of the side of each of the nonwoven materials. the topsheet sheet material has a stiffness from 2.3 to 20 mm/N and each standing gather (14,15) sheet material has a stiffness from 2.0 to 20 mm/N, wherein stiffness is measured according to the softness test method as described in the specification, the topsheet sheet material has a softness of 4.5 dB V^2 rms or less and the standing gather sheet material (14,15) has a softness of 5.0 dB V^2 rms or less, wherein softness is measured on a surface forming part of an outer-facing surface of the absorbent article, of each sheet material and according to the softness test method as described in the specification, and the topsheet sheet material has a smoothness of 4 dB V^2 rms or less and the standing gather (14,15) sheet material has a smoothness of 7.0 dB V^2 rms or less, wherein softness is measured on the surface forming part of an outer-facing surface of the absorbent article, of each sheet material and according to the softness test method as described in the specification and wherein the polypropylene-containing fibers of the topsheet sheet material and the polypropylene-containing fibers of each of the standing gathers sheet material contain a slip agent and wherein the nonwoven material of the topsheet sheet material and the nonwoven material of each of the standing gather sheet material comprise a side, wherein the polypropylene-containing fibers of each of the nonwoven materials are bound together by an alternating bonding pattern of individualized bonded areas which areas are in the form of rods which are arranged in the cross direction of the web, the alternating pattern of the individualized bonded areas defining a non-bonded area, the surface of the bonded surface area being from 5 to 30 % of the total surface area of the side and the surface of the non-bonded area being in the range of 70 to 95 % of the total surface of the side of each of the nonwoven materials.