Dubbed ‘the best year ever for women’, 2014 has a lot to answer for. Despite the endless release of topless photos of celebrities who were told by finger wagging males they ‘shouldn’t have taken them in the first place’, and constant reports of violence against women in all corners of the globe, in 2014 women refused to be silent.
After such a pivotal twelve month period and with Mothers Day just around the corner, we take a look back at International Women’s Day 2015 held on March 8th
Established in 1911, International Women’s Day has long been a day dedicated to the annual achievements of women around the world, whilst also taking stock of the distance remaining between the two sexes.
Here are just three inspirational women who have made a tangible difference in the past twelve months:
Malala Yousafzai
At just 18, the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai dedicated her award to “ all those children who are voiceless and whose voices need to be heard”. Malala has been campaigning since she was 11 for the rights of girls to be educated in Pakistan before an attempt to silence her was made by the Taliban when she was just 15. The attack was almost fatal, but pulling through Malala has returned to education, this time in the UK. She has already made addresses to the UN and is the youngest ever poet laureate.
Lena Dunham
As the director and star of one of 2014’s hottest TV shows Dunham demonstrates the changing role of women in Hollywood. At the ripe old age of 26, her autobiography ‘Not That Kind Of Girl’ shows that you don’t have to possess a lifetime of knowledge in order to teach the establishment a thing or two about the power and influence of women. A lesson in rocking the boat.
Laura Bates
Founder of ‘The Everyday Sexism Project’, Bates aims to remove the institutionalised sexism that is found in almost every corner of the world. The campaign encourages women to share their experience of everyday sexism with the rest of the internet in order to raise awareness of women’s everyday oppression. Essential reading if you have endured one too many wolf whistles.
Of course, with Mother’s Day just around the corner, another type of inspirational women will soon be celebrated, begging the question – can we celebrate the achievement of women everyday? The answer- of course!