Gender gap, sexual assault, slut shaming, public-breast feeding, reproductive organs rights... Who would have thought that after 97 years of granting women the right to vote, society would still be debating over gender equality and the mistreatment of women? Unfortunately, statistics back up the claim that society does not treat women the same way they treat men. For example, on average "women make 78 cents per every dollar a man earns," according to the Department of Labor.
But with every problem comes a solution: activism. A new women's revolution is taking place and it empowers women to keep on fighting for their rights by raising awareness, spreading the message that women deserve the same as men, and to end physical abuse towards them, such as domestic violence and sexual assault. To honor these acts of feminist advocacy, let's remember moments that every woman—from little girls to grandmas—must be aware of because they mark the beginning of a new revolution.
There's the time Emma Watson spoke before The United Nations to advocate for women equality, and the time the Democratic Party elected its first ever woman presidential candidate. Perhaps even the time Madonna received the Billboard Woman of the Year award and delivered an emotional speech. But here are the two epic feminist moments from 2017:
Women's March
On January 21, a day after President Donald Trump's inauguration day, over 5 million women and men took over the streets of cities nationwide to march and speak up about women rights. Just over 1 million were estimated to have showed up in Washington, D.C.—a crowd way bigger than the one at Trump's inauguration ceremony.
The march was historically recorded for its size of attendees and several celebrities spoke up about gender equality and got very political about it.
Little Girl on Wall Street
During International Women's Day, a Wall Street firm installed The Fearless Girl sculpture, by Kristen Visbal, to demonstrate the lack of gender diversity and equal pay in the workplace.
The little girl statue was placed right in front of the iconic charging Bull of Wall Street, but the little girl stands firm and fearless to the bull as she stares down to him.
It is uncertain to know whether the statue will be removed after March or will remain there longer, Reutersreported. Although so far, tourists and Manhattan residents seem to love the idea of having it there.
It's only been three months into 2017 and a new women's revolution has sparked—let's see what the rest of the year has in store for the feminist movement.