By Adi Arbell
It’s finally March, the days are slowly getting warmer, and there is a new sense of hope creeping in as winter coats and snow days start to become a distant memory. Not all hope is lost, especially as the Winter Olympics wrap up and the remarkable stories of women all over the world are shared. It has never been a better time to be a feminist. Alysa Liu, Laila Edwards, and Elana Meyers-Taylor are just three of twelve women who won gold medals this Olympic season, not including the entire USA Women’s Hockey team.
These achievements are so much more than sports and tiers; they are messages to women everywhere that they, too, are remarkable and are capable of achieving great things. As (most of) American society shifts towards a more equal world, women and girls everywhere are receiving the treatment they so rightly deserve. I am so glad to be stepping into adulthood as society begins to treat women of all facets with more respect and slowly but surely, leading us towards a future where women are equal to men.
This Women’s History Month, I want to highlight the remarkable achievements that society has made as a whole, while also shining a light on the issues women are still facing on a national and global scale.
The greatest measurement of society’s shifting towards equality is seen in the WNBA. Before March of 2026, WNBA players were paid 1/60th of what their male counterparts were paid. In 2025, the highest salary earned in the WNBA was $249,000. Now, with the significant rise in advocacy for WNBA players’ salaries and the recent CBA agreement, the lowest WNBA earnings for any athlete will exceed $270,000. As the league continues to grow, we continue to move into a world where women’s sports are equitable to men’s sports; in viewership, earnings, and spirit. Women are no longer subject to how they can be marketable to men; the WNBA is the first of many steps towards American society seeing women as strong, athletic, and extraordinary.
Due to the current administration, the message of “Making America Great Again” involves revoking women’s rights and ceasing to erase the monumental achievements we have made. It seems as though powerful men are afraid of how the approach towards women’s capabilities is changing, which may have something to do with the Conservative Party’s approach towards revoking laws and cases that were put in place decades ago to protect us. The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 created a gateway for local and state governments to decide the fate of women’s autonomy and take away their options for healthcare.
Not only have women dealt with centuries of oppression, but once we finally begin to get autonomy and rights, we shift backwards. Today, in some states, a fetus has more rights than the woman carrying it.
For example, Adriana Smith was put on life support in Atlanta in February. The then-30-year-old Atlanta nurse was more than eight weeks pregnant and suffering dangerous complications. Because of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, she was kept alive by machines, and she was brain-dead for three months as the state of Georgia claimed she must carry her child to term. Her family did not have a say in letting their daughter rest in peace and she wasn’t laid to rest until after the baby was delivered in June. This case is a tragic reality for many.
Currently, 14/50 US states have a total ban on abortions. In 7 states, abortion is banned at or before 18 weeks of gestation. Many states with abortion bans do not include exceptions in cases where the health of the pregnant person is at risk, the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or there is a fatal fetal issue. The patients and doctors in these fields can also face imprisonment if found participating in abortion treatment. Many women in the United States are subject to carrying a baby that could damage their health and well-being just for the sake of “pro-life” laws.
But not all hope is lost. Feminism thrives in oppression, and the more you try to silence us, the harder we fight back. I wanted to share a few feminist wins in 2025 that show us we are really heading in the right direction, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
#1: The passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act
The act was signed into law and requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publicly release all unclassified records, videos, and images relating to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It was found that around 1,000 women were sex trafficked and abused by Jeffrey Epstein. This act allows the victims to get the justice they so rightly deserve.
#2: The FDA approved a generic abortion pill
The FDA approved a generic version of Mifepristone, aka the abortion pill. About ⅔ of abortions are done by medication and this makes healthcare more accessible to those in need of receiving treatment.
#3: Gisèle Pelicot named Woman of the Year
Gisèle Pelicot filed a lawsuit against her now ex-husband after it was found that he drugged and raped her over the course of a decade, while also soliciting her to other men for money. The case attracted international media attention and Gisèle’s courage and determination to speak out on behalf of all victims of sexual assault won her international support and admiration.
#4: Virginia elects its first woman governor
In 2025, Abigail Spanberger was elected as the first woman governor of the state of Virginia. Her campaign ran on an affordable Virginia agenda, promising to lower costs for families, expand healthcare access, and invest in education. A blue sweep in Virginia shows the societal shift towards women’s capabilities, especially in a southern state.
#5: Italy recognizes Femicide punished to life in prison
The law defines murders of women for misogynistic reasons as femicide, and includes additions of new measures against gender-based crimes. This approach towards gender-based violence is being adopted by other countries, including Poland, France, and Brazil.
As we wrap up Women’s History Month, remember that there has never been a better time to be a woman. Whether you are one or you know one. The abilities, resilience, and power of women everywhere are never to be taken for granted and remember, it’s never too late to become a feminist.