We may only be three months into 2018, but this year has seen plenty of incredible moments of female activism and empowerment. From the foundation of new movements and celebrations of important milestones, there is no denying that 2018 is the Year of the Woman. So, in honour of International Women’s Day this week, here’s a little reminder of the best moments for and from women so far this year:
Time’s Up
This year kicked off with one of the most significant Golden Globes in history. Stars walked the carpet donned in black, accompanied by some amazing female activists, to debut and support the Time’s Up Movement at one of the most prestigious events in Hollywood. Possibly the best thing to emerge from the catastrophe that was 2017, The Time’s Up movement was formed in the wake of the Weinstein allegations and the #metoo movement to help fight sexual assault, harassment, and inequality in the workplace. Having already made $21m of their $22m target, the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund provides subsidised legal support to people who have experienced sexual harassment or assault at work. As 71% of women who have experienced assault at work have not reported it, the Time’s Up movement marks a change in the imbalance of power and is a significant encouragement to those who need help to speak out. Further public displays of support from some of our favourite celebs at the Grammy’s in February and the Brits in March shows that Time’s Up is a movement that is only just beginning and is definitely here to stay.
BBC Pay Row
Increasing awareness of the gender pay gap has led to big-name companies being faced with some difficult questions and accusations so far this year. Unfortunately, the nations most beloved channel could not be excused from this scandal, as the BBC was forced to reveal its highest paid employees last year, exposing a huge disparity in wages. Not only did men make up more than two-thirds of the Beeb’s highest paid employees, but it appeared that women were earning significantly less than men in the same roles, with the highest paid female presenter earning less than a quarter of the highest paid male presenter. However, the committee session following China editor Carrie Gracie’s resignation at this beginning of this year is a great example of companies finally being held accountable for the systematic discrimination they inflict. This sequence of events has forced companies to be more transparent with their wage rates, with 9,000 firms required to publish their gender pay gaps by April, as well as encouraged support for equal pay among men and women, with six of the BBC’s highest paid male presenters taking pay cuts in support of their female colleagues. With the gender pay gap standing at 18.1% at the end of 2017, this new demand for clarity and answers is the first step in creating actual and lasting change.
“I didn’t ask for pay rises, I only asked for equality.” ~ Carrie Gracie
100 Years of the Vote
Women over thirty won the right to a vote following the end of the First World War in 1918. While the road to this historic milestone wasn’t easy, 100 years on women now hold more political power then they have ever had before. A record high number of 208 female politicians now sit in the Commons, yet they are still vastly outnumbered by their 442 male peers. However, the centenary celebration of women’s right to vote is not just a celebration, but a reinvigoration of what we still want to achieve- how far we have come, and how much further we have to go. The world has changed unbelievably in the last hundred years for women and the political, economic, and social rights that have been achieved in that time are a true success and something to be proudly celebrated this year. While there is still a way to go, the progress made so far marks this year as the beginning of a new wave of activism, empowerment, and change. It’s this sense of celebration of the past and determination for the future which highlights why 2018 will truly be the Year of the Woman.