- International Women’s Day, March 8, is a time to celebrate the achievements of women.
- From politics and justice to sports and entertainment, women in all walks of life around the world are already excelling this year.
- Here are some of the women who have made history so far in 2022.
Role models are recognized as essential to helping the world overcome gender bias and achieve gender equality: if women can see themselves represented, they can do it.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreaktheBias – to promote a world free of stereotypes and discrimination.
And it starts with celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of strong female role models across the planet – who are breaking down barriers to allow others to follow in their footsteps.
The World Economic Forum has been measuring gender gaps since 2006 in the annual Global Gender Gap Report.
The Global Gender Gap Report tracks progress in closing gender gaps at the national level. To turn this information into concrete actions and national progress, we have developed the Closing the Gender Gap Accelerators model for public-private collaboration.
These accelerators were convened in ten countries from three regions. Accelerators are established in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Panama in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank in Latin America and the Caribbean, Egypt and Jordan in the Middle East and North Africa, and Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
All National Accelerators, as well as Knowledge Partner countries demonstrating global leadership in closing gender gaps, are part of a larger ecosystem, the Global Learning Network, which facilitates the exchange of ideas and knowledge. experiences via the Forum platform.
In 2019, Egypt became the first country in the Middle East and Africa to launch a Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator. While more women than men are now enrolled in university, women make up just over a third of professional and technical workers in Egypt. Women in the labor force are also less likely to be paid the same as their male colleagues for equivalent work or to move into leadership positions.
In these countries, CEOs and Ministers work together over a three-year period on policies that help to further reduce the economic gender gaps in their countries. This includes extended parental leave, subsidized childcare, and removing unconscious bias in recruitment, retention, and promotion practices.
If you are a business in one of the Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator countries, you can join the local member base.
If you are a business or government in a country where we do not currently have a Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator, you can contact us to explore the possibilities of creating one.
January
Maya Angelou
The late American author and activist Maya Angelou became the first black woman to appear on the US Quarter, when the US Mint began rolling out the coin on January 11. The piece is part of the American Women Quarters program, which also includes Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American Hollywood movie star, the US Mint told Reuters.
Antonette Wemyss Gorman
Appointed in January as the first woman to lead the Jamaican military, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman faced danger and sexism during her 29-year career, but didn’t let sex hold her back. “I never focused on the fact that I was a woman,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I think a lot of times women make the mistake of focusing on their gender and creating their own boundaries in what they do.”
Xiomara Castro
Xiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras’ first female president in late January in front of a jubilant crowd including US vice-president Kamala Harris. Harris pledged US government support to stem migration and fight corruption in Central America.
A huge gender gap persists in politics around the world.
Image: World Economic Forum
Preet Chandi
When British Army officer Preet Chandi embarked on her solo expedition to the South Pole, she did so to inspire her eight-year-old niece. “I want [her] grow without limits, knowing that the possibilities of what you can achieve in life are endless. This journey aims to inspire future generations to achieve whatever they desire and to push the boundaries. By promoting and completing this challenge, it allows me to act as a role model for young people, women and people from ethnic backgrounds. Chandi is believed to be the first woman of color to complete the journey unaided.
Aisha Malik
Justice Ayesha Malik was appointed as Pakistan’s first female Supreme Court Justice in January. “A significant and defining moment in our country as a brilliant lawyer and decorated judge to become Pakistan’s first female SC judge,” tweeted Maleeka Bokhari, Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Legislator for Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-e-party. Insaf. “To break glass ceilings,” she added.
February
Hannah Green
Australian Hannah Green has become the first woman to win a mixed professional golf tournament, at the TPS Murray River event in her home country. The former PGA Women’s Championship winner battled through windy conditions to record a five-under 66 final round and break a four-way tie with Andrew Evans, Matthew Millar and Blake Collyer.
Jeanne Campion
New Zealand director Jane Campion became the first woman to receive multiple Best Director Oscar nominations when she was nominated for The Power of the Dog in February. This comes nearly 20 years after his 1993 nomination for The Piano. In Oscar history, only seven women have been nominated for Best Director and only two have won: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010 and Chloé Zhao for Nomadland in 2021.
Chloe Kim
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Californian Chloe Kim became the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
Federal Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been nominated by President Joe Biden to become the first black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. His nomination on Feb. 25 fulfilled a campaign promise Biden had made exactly two years earlier to deliver the historic appointment. He said: “For too long our government, our courts have not looked like America. I think it’s time we had a court that reflects all the talent and greatness of our nation with a candidate with extraordinary qualifications.” Hearings on Jackson are due to begin March 21, initially before she can be voted on by the full chamber.
