Women made some awesome advancements in 2018.

I was recently talking to a patient who had returned from Saudi where she had performed in a play. This was a big deal because performances like that were previously illegal in the country prior to 2018.

“Cinemas had been banned for 35 years^[3] until the first cinema in Saudi Arabia opened on 18 April 2018 in Riyadh.”

Source, Wikipedia

That discussion reminded me that there are things that we take for granted in life that aren’t customary for everyone. I want to take a moment and highlight some of those wins.

In 2018, it became legal for women to DRIVE in Saudi Arabia

On June 5th, 2018, BBC News reported the following:

“Expectations are that next week an additional 2,000 women will join the ranks of licensed drivers in the kingdom,” a statement from the Saudi information ministry said.
It added that the 10 women who had collected their new Saudi licences had “made history”.
“It’s a dream come true that I am about to drive in the kingdom,” Rema Jawdat, who received a licence, was quoted as saying by the ministry.
“Driving to me represents having a choice – the choice of independent movement. Now we have that option.”

BBC News

Can you imagine being a person who owns a car but needing a man to drive you wherever you need to go? I am a working mother with places to go and people to see. It’s hard to imagine that just 6 months ago, women received this right for the first time ever!

It didn’t come easy either. There were YEARS of protests and demostrations. Men and women were even getting arrested up until the law changed. I call that a not-so-small VICTORY!!!! Congrats ladies.

2018 saw a RECORD number of women enter the US Congress

In the November election, history was made when the election of democratic women caused the House to flip from Red to Blue. Over 100 women now hold congressional positions. Prior to this, the highest number of women in Congress in history was 84.

Two of my favorites were these awesome individuals, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar:

Reporting from the Washington Post:

” Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, born in Detroit to Palestinian parents, and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, who arrived in the United States from Somalia at age 14, won their House races, becoming the first Muslim women elected to Congress. “

How cool is that? I love diversity. I celebrate equality. This is definitely a historical moment for 2018.

And then there was #MeToo

Tarana Burke, founder of this pivotal and life-changing movement spoke in her TED Talk about how the movement started in 2006, but went viral in October of 2017. In 2018, she talked about the movement changing, but not for the better.

” Suddenly, a movement to centre survivors of sexual violence is being talked about as a vindictive plot against men,” she said.
“Victims are heard and then vilified.”
She was keen to get back to the original intention she had for MeToo when, in 2006, she wrote the words on a piece of paper as a way of starting an action plan to do something about the sexual violence she saw in her community. …

During Ms. Burke’s TED Talk,

she went on to talk about the change she wanted to see come back to the movement:

“She ended her talk with a plea that victims not be forced to relive their traumas by speaking about them and she called for the fight against “power and privilege” to continue.
“We have to re-educate ourselves and our children to understand that power and privilege doesn’t always have to destroy and take – it can be used to serve and build,” she said.

Yeah. That makes sense.

I’m looking forward to 2019. Not just for my own personal growth and the growth of The Gyneco-bLogic, but because momentum is growing. The pendulum is swinging back to a direction that feels right. I think that we can ALL take this thing my storm!

Comment or tag here or on FB and IG @dreverywoman or @thegynecoblogic with any amazing girl power stories that you think we would like. I love celebrating victories, large and small. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

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