Sure, things are undeniably sunnier for women in the “Lean In” culture of 2014, but we’re not fully there yet. Here are some cold, hard facts:
- We've still never had a woman president, or vice president...
- ...or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court....or White House chief of staff, or director of the CIA.
- And women still make 77 cents on the dollar as compared to our male counterparts.
Yet we’re still somehow stuck waging war on words like "bossy." (Or, you know, embracing words like "bossy," depending on whom you’re talking to.)
But don’t lose hope, because we have some incredible leaders out there, as well as some pretty fantastic science and history supporting the greatness of our gender.
So without further ado, here are 15 reasons to celebrate your womanliness today:
1. Listen, we’re not saying one gender is smarter than the other, buuuuut...
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...little girls are kicking little boys' butts in elementary school and earning higher degrees at far better rates. Female grads now account for about 60% of U.S. bachelor's degree holders.
2. Although a woman does hold the world’s highest recorded IQ.
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In the 1980s, Marilyn vos Savant's IQ was recorded as a sky-high 228 according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The ensuing press attention spawned a still-running column in Parade: the eponymous "Ask Marilyn," where vos Savant answers puzzles, riddles, and the like.
3. Actually, women now outperform men on IQ tests, in general.
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Formerly a gentleman's game, statistics now show that women handily beat their male counterparts on the IQ scale.
4. Whoa, did you know our immune systems are significantly stronger?
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This is possibly due to estrogen's immune-boosting influence or a number of other baseline genetic advantages, but it's totally true. We KNEW IT.
5. Statistically speaking, it turns out that women are actually better drivers than men.
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So here’s a big middle finger to all the old taxi drivers who gripe about “lady drivers,” because facts are facts, boys.
6. We’re also objectively better with money!
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Studies show that women make for superior investors for oh-so-many reasons.
7. In fact, it turns out that a woman invented the original version of Monopoly in 1904.
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Elizabeth Magie’s version was called “The Landlord Game." And talk about an income gap: Parker Brothers bought the patent from Magie for a mere $500 after a dude named Charles Darrow had passed it off as his own. Poor Lizzie.
8. Speaking of male-dominated fields like finance and technology … a woman was one of the pioneers for a little thing called the computer. IN THE '40s.
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In 1944, Grace Hopper designed Harvard's Mark I computer along with Howard Aiken, which was used in the U.S. effort in World War II. She was also part of the team that developed one of the first modern programming languages (COBOL). Fun fact: She’s also credited with the term “debugging,” supposedly as a result of having to physically remove moths from the massive room-sized computers of the day.
9. Oh, and it turns out: beer? That was us, too. Ladies were the first brewers, according to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
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According to The Atlantic, there’s a substantial movement to claim brewskies back from the broski-domain once and for all. Three cheers!
10. Despite still being quite the minority in the U.S. Congress, a joint study from Stanford University and the University of Chicago proves that women are more effective legislators in the national arena.
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Over the 20 years surveyed, "women in Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for their districts than their male counterparts," on average.
11. Case in point: Let's not forget how Senator Elizabeth Warren seriously has our backs.
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We want to be her when we grow up. “America’s women are tired of hearing that pay inequality isn’t real," she says. "We’re tired of hearing that it is somehow our fault, and we’re ready to fight back.”
12. And despite those oh-so-tired claims (ughhhh) that women aren't funny, ladies are clearly dominating comedy these days.
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13. For God's sake, BECAUSE TINA AND AMY.
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Aside from being our favorite humans to do anything ever, the duo absolutely nailed the hosting gig (again) at the Golden Globes, earning the award show its highest ratings in 10 years.
14. Women completely dominate the beloved icon/media mogul category and only need one name: Arianna, Martha, Oprah. (Sorry, Rupert.)
And yes, OK, we’re biased, but we’re particularly proud of Huffington’s current efforts to eliminate burnout and encourage us all to thrive in our careers without sacrificing our mental and emotional health.
15. And finally, because the best is yet to come.