Give us all the flowers, we deserve it. 
It has been a rough past year. We have and still are facing a global pandemic that has sickened millions and caused over 300,000 American deaths, a national acknowledgment over systemic racism and racialized police violence, destructive wildfires and hurricanes linked to the climate crisis, and the pandemic causing devastating record levels of unemployment, and thousands of small businesses closing.
But it’s 2021, so let’s look at the silver lining—these crises have exposed the cracks, flaws, and inequities that exist in our country.
It’s given us an opportunity to rebuild stronger and better than ever before, and an opportunity to create the change we wish to see. And that’s when women step in, to be the hero we’ve been all along.
Women have always been at the forefront of some of the most influential movements in history. Whether it’s fighting for equal pay, the right to vote, trans liberation, and simply the right to live as equals, women have led. Even looking at COVID responses, the countries that have been most effective have one thing in common, a woman in the leadership position. From Danish Prime minister Mette Frederiksen putting her country on lockdown really early, to the quick control of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen, Iceland’s prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir who quickly followed the advice of scientists, and the quick action of New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Arden who avoided mass infections and deaths. That’s just to name a few, female leaders around the world have proved that we are more than capable to not only lead, but do it better.
Unfortunately, when it comes to leadership roles, there’s a huge imbalance of power.
Whether it's the racial and gender pay gap, the lack of affordable child care, the lack of opportunities to have a seat at the helm, and to be honest the lack of respect from men, our system still has built-in barriers that have always been an obstacle for women.
We’ve coped for so long by keeping quiet, not challenging anything, and not dreaming big enough, which ultimately led to a common lack of self-confidence.
When that happens, society misses out on the brilliance of so many women: women that society dulled their spark, women of color, immigrant women, Muslim women, disabled women, and trans women, who have been told over and over again to stay on the sideline and wait their turn.
But our turn never comes. There are so many things that are bound up in the minds of women, things that we are missing out on because we keep being told to hold on, that what we want isn’t possible.
Know that we lose out when we silence voices, when we demoralize confidence, and when we demoralize ambition.
But that idea is being left in 2020, because women are changing the face of leadership, in all aspects.
Across the country, we’ve had historic wins—Kamala Harris will be our first woman vice-president in history and the record number of women voted into congress.
The improvement of diversity in congress is for sure going to shape legislation in a way that will affect generations to come and reflect major shifts in the way our country treats women.
This year, let’s make an extra effort to encourage women everywhere to be brave and confident to put themselves out there to pursue their dreams, even ones that feel impossible. It can be intimidating to be the first woman in a certain position or the only woman in a room, but when women take on these challenges with courage, we set an example for other women to follow. 

WRITTEN BY

Andreia Gibau