2021 Recap: Some of the Top Women Empowerment Moments Around the World

Reflecting on 2021, it was undoubtedly a very patchy year. We continued to face the trials and tribulations of the Coronavirus. We reached record droughts, flooding, and wildfires around the world after failing to address the emerging crisis of climate change. On top of it all, our economy remained sensitive with supply chain issues and inflation surges. Now, my goal here is not to recite all of these previous dreadful facts we are all more than aware of; instead, let’s take a quick dive into all of the good that has happened to our world this year, more specifically, a glimpse into what women have accomplished and the progress made towards gender equality.

Let us begin our trip around the globe in the United States, where the Presidential election placed into office a very significant figure in future history books: Kamala Harris. Harris checked the boxes of many “firsts”; the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American, Vice President of the United States. As she stated, “If we want to strengthen democracy, we must fight for gender equality. Because here is the truth: Democracy is strongest when everyone participates and it is weaker when people are left out.” which makes many hopeful that she will use her position of authority to fight for minorities and gender equality.

All the way in Western Asia, Lebanon passed a new set of laws, one of them involving the legality of child marriage. Prior to the global pandemic in 2020, over 100 million girls were forced against their will to marry before the age of 18. While the new legislation only bans child marriage under the age of fifteen, it states that girls must give their consent to marry, otherwise the marriage will be nullified. This amendment is taking one huge leap towards accomplishing one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, which is to end the union of children under the age of majority.

Lastly, I regret having to bring up our least favorite topic, COVID-19, but I must dedicate at least a portion of this article to a small fraction of the incredible women that contributed to the research and distribution of the vaccine. Nita Patel, one of the lead scientists at Novavax, led a team of almost entirely women, and ultimately was a huge contributor to the development of the vaccine. In her eyes, women are at the frontline of this research because "We have a power inside us. We are very goal oriented, very persistent in achieving that goal." (CBS News). Furthermore, Katalin Kariko’s idea that mRNA could be used to fight disease became the basis of the vaccine that was developed. Ultimately, 14 year-old Anika Chebrolu identified a lead molecule to selectively bind the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could inhibit the coronavirus, which granted her the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

These women and advances are only a glance of the advancements that were made in terms of equality in 2021. Day by day, women around the world continue to fight gender biases, and press to be given the same platform as our male counterparts in various industries. Regardless of everything, we, as women, keep pushing the boundaries of sexism everyday in hopes of a unified society for our future daughters.

Event Recap:

In November, Girl Up Queen’s partnered with QSYMS (Queen’s Yoga & Meditation Society) to help raise money to send refugee girls in Uganda to school, giving them the opportunity to continue their education and escape gender-based violence. Our team raised a total of $74 to send towards our cause all while being able to participate in an empowerment meditation session followed by a discussion on spirituality. It was a very relaxing and calming opportunity, and we were grateful to have been able to collaborate with a wonderful club!

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Contributors: Charlotte Swane and Michelle Mah