A Look Back At Some Defining Moments By Women

In honour of International Women’s Day and as a part of our week-long celebration of women, our team has compiled several defining achievements by and for women throughout the past year.  

Kamala Harris Is The First Woman And Person Of Colour To Become Vice President Of The USA
Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President of the United States on January 20th 2021, becoming the first woman and the first black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the office.

Scotland Became The First Country In The World To Make Period Products For All
The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) was introduced by Labour MSP Monica Lennon and places a legal duty on local authorities to ensure essential period products are available to anyone who needs them. This step helps normalise menstruation and tackles the issues of period poverty and stigma that many people face today. 

Kuwait Issues New Law On Protection From Domestic Abuse
After years of activism, this new law was established on September 20th last year, to help provide support and protection. Establishing shelters, hotlines, counselling and legal assistance services and providing emergency protection orders for survivors. Although there are still many issues with the law that fail to fully protect women, this milestone is a sign of progress and hope for the women of Kuwait. 

Emmanuelle Charpentier And Jennifer A. Doudna Become The First Pair Of Women To Be Awarded The Nobel Prize In Chemistry
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to honour their work on the technology of genome editing. They are the first two women to share the prize and are helping to pave the way for women in science. 

Various Australian National Sporting Organisations Commit To The Inclusion Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Athletes
Netball Australia, AFL, Rugby Australia and Tennis Australia among other organisations, have introduced a policy and committed themselves to the Pride In Sport program to improve their inclusion and diversity standards, and to help provide safe and inclusive opportunities for LGBTQIA+ Australians.

Chloe Zhao Is The First Asian Woman To Win Best Director At The Golden Globes
Chloe Zhao recently made history and was awarded Best Director at the 78th Golden Globes for drama ‘Nomadland’. She’s also only the second woman to ever win this award since Barbara Streisand in 1984.  Marking a major step in inclusivity for female directors and people of colour within the film industry. 

Jacinda Ardern’s Second Term Welcomes New Zealand’s Most Diverse Cabinet
Jacinda Ardern has appointed New Zealand’s most diverse cabinet in her second term, made up of various backgrounds including those of the indigenous and LGBTQIA+ community. The cabinet includes Nanaia Muhata, the first-ever indigenous female foreign minister and Priyanca Radhakrishnan, the first Indian-origin minister in New Zealand.

 

Although these milestones are helping pave the way for gender equality and women’s rights,  there are still many global issues at hand that continually discriminate and endanger women. Keep an eye out on our Instagram stories throughout this week, as we’re highlighting 7 different ways we can continually support and empower women beyond March 8th.