The world is finally catching up to what we've always known: women's health, women's rights, and women's representation matter. India's Supreme Court declared menstrual health a fundamental right, North Carolina won the first-ever case recognizing endometriosis as a workplace disability, and ESPN is launching Women's Sports Sundays—giving female athletes the primetime spotlight they've earned.
Let's dive into the good news and historic wins to celebrate:
Netherlands' Youngest Prime Minister Appointed: At 38, Jetten has been sworn in as the Netherlands' youngest and first openly gay prime minister. He represents a new generation of leadership that's socially liberal, pro-EU, and unapologetically progressive. Jetten has already formed a government where every major reform will require vote-by-vote negotiation in parliament.
European Parliament - Trans Women Are Women: The European Parliament adopted a resolution with a 340-141 vote that states "trans women are women". They're calling for full recognition and equal access to protection and support services, addressing attacks by anti-gender movements that undermine democracy and target women's and LGBTQ+ rights.
NYC Pays $30 An Hour To Emergency Shovelers: New York City is paying emergency shovelers $30 an hour to help clear sidewalks, bus stops, and curbs after one of the biggest snow events in recent history, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for volunteers. The administration is responding to a crisis by actually paying people a living wage to do essential work and prioritizing the community.
India's Court Declares Menstrual Hygiene a Right: India's Supreme Court declared menstrual health and hygiene a Fundamental Right, equating it to the right to life with dignity. They've directed authorities to provide free sanitary pads for girls and ensure functional, gender-segregated toilets in all institutions. For a country where menstruating women are socially ostracized and even mentioning periods is taboo, this ruling represents a major step toward changing regressive mindsets rooted in patriarchy.
Community Groups Share Free Abortion Pills: Volunteer-run mutual aid groups have mailed over 100,000 sets of free abortion pills since 2022 and now serve people in over two-thirds of all states plus four U.S. territories, increasingly expanding to states where abortion is legal but unaffordable or inaccessible. These community providers offer high-quality pills with no medical forms, no ID requirements, and additional privacy measures like mailing loose pills and deleting emails within 24 hours—all completely free, no questions asked.
Endometriosis Recognized As Disability: Christian "Cece" Worley won the first case in North Carolina recognizing endometriosis as a disability, reaching a near six-figure settlement. The case began after her employer refused to accommodate her request to work remotely on the first day of her menstrual cycle and told her further discussion would result in termination. Despite lawyers telling her she had a losing case because the law surrounding endometriosis and the ADA wasn't fully developed, Worley represented herself and won, creating legal precedent for the 1 in 10 women in the U.S. who suffer from this chronic condition.
New Law For Tech Firms Remove Abusive Images: The UK government is ordering tech companies to remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours of being flagged, with platforms facing fines up to 10% of worldwide revenue. The government is also working with Ofcom to treat these images with the same severity as child sexual abuse and terrorism content, digitally marking them so they're automatically deleted at every new upload across multiple platforms.
Women's Olympic Medals For Team USA: For the third consecutive Winter Games, U.S. women won more gold medals (6) and more medals overall (17) than U.S. men. This success traces directly back to Title IX, the 1972 law that opened floodgates for girls and women to play sports, creating the NCAA programs and professional leagues that now serve as the feeder system for Team USA. When you give women opportunities their grandmothers never had, they dominate on the world stage.
ESPN To Launch Women's Sports Sundays: A first-of-its-kind weekly primetime programming franchise is debuting in Summer 2026 that will feature top-tier WNBA and NWSL matchups across nine consecutive weeks and 12 games on Sunday nights. More than just a programming block, this represents ESPN's bold commitment to establishing women's sports as the main event in premium windows, supported by their entire media ecosystem.
First All Female Crew to Sail Nonstop: The Famous Project became the first all-female crew to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world, crossing the finish line after 57 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes. The eight-woman team refused to retire even when Storm Ingrid's 45-knot gusts left them with little more than a wingmast and headsails, prioritizing their historic mission over speed.
