If the last couple of years have shown us anything, it’s that there are a number of major causes worldwide that have captured the imagination of the public and highlighted a continued need for awareness and reform. From the BLM movement, to LGBTQ+ rights, to climate change, there are issues on which people around the world have started to have their collective voices heard.
Gender equality has been in sharp focus for many years now and that’s why we’ve chosen to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2021 with this blogpost, dedicated to some amazing accomplishments from women around the world over the past few years.
We have seen incredible achievements in politics, business, sports, the arts, and activism, as women’s voices are being heard louder than ever before. We want to do all we can to engage with women everywhere and continue this positive movement.
Political Prowess
Events in 2020 made it one of the most challenging years for political leaders all around the world. Coronavirus has affected virtually every corner of the globe, but some of the nations to emerge with the most credit from the crisis are led by women.
It’s been well-documented how successfully the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has dealt with the pandemic, amongst many other issues. Ardern’s swift response has meant that New Zealand recently went over 100 days without a single case, helping to ensure the safety of her citizens. She has also shown progressive views on same-sex marriage and nuclear-free policies, helping her to 38th in Forbes’ 100 most powerful women in the world in 2019.
Elsewhere in the world, Kamala Harris became the first female, African-American and Asian-American Vice President of the United States of America, running alongside President Joe Biden. The Democrats’ campaign also saw Sarah McBride elected to Delaware’s State Senate, making her the first transgender state senator in US history.
The Nordic region has also been shining light for female political leaders, with Sanna Marin, Erna Solberg, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, and Mette Frederiksen in charge across Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark respectively.
Girl Power helping progression
Several current issues around the world are empowering young people to take a significant role in activism, many of them being young women.
One of the most prominent has been 18-year-old Swede, Greta Thunberg. The impact of climate change is now a daily feature of the news cycle and Thunberg has become one of the most widely recognized environmental activists in the world, challenging world leaders to take immediate action on the crisis. She has received consecutive nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize (2019 and 2020).
Thunberg is by no means alone in speaking up for the younger generation on matters of international importance. Chile’s Julieta Martinez is a climate change and gender equality activist who founded the Tremendas Collaborative Platform to encourage social impact from young people in their communities, and sits on the UN’s Women’s Generation Equality Youth Task Force at just 17-years-old. In the UK, another 17-year-old, Millie Bobby Brown (best-known for her role as “Eleven” in Stranger Things) has become a strong advocate for children’s rights and became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2018 – the youngest person selected for this position.
Making waves in the Arts
Throughout the ups and downs of 2020 and beyond, many of us have relied more than ever on the arts to keep us sane and entertained, and creative women the world over have continued to come to the fore.
In music, artists such as Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa have been virtually permanent fixtures at the top of the charts for several years now, achieving millions of downloads and headline slots at festivals… the latter of which we can’t wait to see come back again!
Several modern figures are also leading the way for female empowerment in the film and TV industries. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Issa Rae and Elisabeth Moss all combining acting and production roles to critical acclaim, and major executives such as Cindy Holland (Vice President, Original Content, Netflix), Shonda Rhimes (Founder, Chair & CEO of Shondaland) and Nancy Dubue (President & CEO of A&E Networks) keeping great content coming onto our screens.
Smashing it in the Sports Arena
Women’s sport has been on an incredible rise over the past ten years in particular, with increased TV coverage and crowd attendances at events all over the world.
Some stars have used their platform to raise awareness for issues close to their hearts, such as the USA’s soccer captain Megan Rapinoe. Not only has she led her country to gold at the 2012 Olympics and World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019, she is a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and stood in solidarity with the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick as he took the knee during the American national anthem to protest police brutality against African-Americans, since becoming a major symbol in the fight against racism in sport.
Elsewhere, we saw England’s Fallon Sherrock become to first woman in history to win a match in the World Darts Championship against a male competitor, and last year Australia’s cricket team beat India in the T20 World Cup final in front of a crowd of over 90,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground!
Feeding back female views
At Opinion Outpost, it is hugely important to us that we help to convey the views of as broad a spectrum of the public as possible to all the organizations we work with, and women’s views are no exception.
We partner with major corporations, local government authorities, and all sorts of other organizations in between, and they all want to know more about their female audiences.
So, why don’t you try signing up and you can share your opinions with us, helping to raise awareness and earn rewards for yourself simultaneously!
