From Me Too to Malala: 13 moments in history that shaped this decade for women.

We’re hours out from a new year, so we here at Mamamia are feeling all nostalgic.

We’ve come a long way in 10 years. Women, that is. We’ve burst through boundaries, achieved insane goals, broken down some archaic sexist laws and we’re closer than ever to achieving true gender equality.

Now, of course, we’ve got a hell of a long way to go. All you have to do is look at the number of women who’ve died by violence in this country in 2019 alone, (55 – and the vast majority were murdered by men), or the fact that we still have a gender pay gap (it’s 2019, how?!).

Flashback to our International Women’s Day video. Post continues after video.

We can look to America, where a woman’s right to body autonomy has gone backwards thanks to new conservative abortion laws, or just the realisation that everything in society (we’re talking everything from air conditioner core temperatures to seatbelts) has been designed with men in mind.

Heck. We could write a whole list about the things the female population still has left to conquer. However, we’re going to focus on the positives as we prepare to say goodbye to 2019. For we, Mamamia – and all of you reading – are a part of this success.

Over the past decade we have grown from a one-woman-blog (hi, Boss!) to a multi-layered platform offering women guidance, advice and support in a way that’s never really been done before here in Oz.

So to celebrate this decade, here are just 13 of the incredible moments achieved for women or by women this decade.

Malala Yousafzai.

In 2012, a then 15-year-old Malala was shot by the Taliban while on a school bus with her friends in Pakistan. By the time she woke up her name was known by millions - she was the girl who stood up to the Taliban.

As the terrorist organisation increased its stranglehold on parts of her country in the early 2000s, women were gradually stripped of their rights and forced back into their homes; markets were suddenly off limits, shops bore signs banning them from entry, burqas were the expected form of dress.

In December 2008, news came that girls in Malala’s region would be banned from going to school. Malala and her father, Ziauddin – a school founder, activist and proud feminist – stood up and spoke out against this injustice. She blogged anonymously for the BBC about her increasingly restricted life, and spoke publicly on local television and radio.

So they tried to assassinate her, but they failed.

Since surviving that attack Malala's activism has only grown, her voice magnified after international press coverage of the shooting. She gave speeches at the United Nations and Harvard University, and enjoyed an audience with the likes of Queen Elizabeth and former US President Barack Obama. A Nobel Peace Prize followed in 2014 when she was just 17, making her the youngest person ever to win the award. She was also given the prestigious Philadelphia Liberty Medal and the United Nations International Children's Peace Prize.

Julia Gillard and her misogyny speech.

Julia was our country's first female Prime Minister, which is deserving of this list as an achievement on its own. She led our country from 2010 until 2013 and paved the way for the women that will no doubt come after her.

She faced challenges that weren't afforded to her male predecessors. Yes, she did things that attracted criticism that had nothing to do with her gender. But she did face scrutiny that the men just, didn't. To cite one example, she was told by Bill Heffernan that she was "unfit for leadership because she was deliberately barren."

All of the chatter went on without much real change, until Gillard rose in parliament and delivered her now famous misogyny speech. It was blisteringly brilliant - an authentic, spontaneous and passionate defence of how she’d been treated.

Gillard's speech went viral and she was congratulated by world leaders for her takedown of sexism (and then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott) and for standing up for her rights as a woman, and the leader of the country at that point in time. The Macquarie Dictionary even updated its definition of the word "misogyny" because of it.

The Me Too movement.

Even though it has been in existence since 2006, founded by the incredible Tarana Burke, the Me Too movement really took off after the sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein came to light in 2017. The movement spread quickly via the hashtag #MeToo on social media.

American actress Alyssa Milano posted on Twitter, "If all the women who have ever been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too.’ as a status, then we give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem," saying that she got the idea from a friend."

Gwyneth Paltrow,  Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman joined her and soon there were too many stories from women to count.

It turned into an international movement for justice.

The movement resulted in a number of high profile men accused of sexual violence losing their jobs - from big, previously untouchable positions. Laws changed in places like California and New York to make life easier for victims.

It also led to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, aimed at helping survivors of sexual misconduct, especially in low-wage industries, get legal representation.

Since the fund launched in January 2018, it has raised over $24 million and connected 3,677 people with attorneys.

Jacinda Ardern's leadership.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made history in 2017 when she became the youngest ever female Prime Minister at age 37.

As well as kicking arse leading an entire nation, Jacinda also became a first time parent while remaining in office (with approximately six weeks maternity leave), an incredible feat.

Jacinda is a true example of how women do not need to choose a career or parenthood, they can, and should (if they so desire) do both.

She also showed us what a true leader looks like, in a political climate that can feel for many of us - a bit scary.

She is strong, sincere, and acts with courage and true empathy. Her response to disasters like the Christchurch shooting and the White Island disaster were arguably flawless.

Greta's climate change fight.

She's the 16-year-old climate activist that has in many ways, changed the way the world responds to climate change.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager, holds world leaders to account and refuses to buckle under the pressure and enormity of her now forged position. (Even as millions of detractors try to derail her).

She has delivered powerful speech after powerful speech telling the adults in charge: "How dare you" as they continue to ignore the warnings from climate scientists.

She has rallied worldwide protests, in cities across the globe and in May this year was named Time's Person of the Year. This year she was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and addressed the UN Climate Change Summit in New York.

The NSW fight for abortion.

This was a big victory for women, not just in New South Wales, but in Australia. Up until a few months ago, abortion was still a part of the criminal act in our most populous state.

In September after fierce debate, the Abortion Law Reform Act finally passed.

Labor MP Penny Sharpe, who is one of 15 co-sponsors of the bill, said the vote was 119 years in the making.

The New South Wales decriminalisation brought the state into line with the rest of the country, and now, heading into the new decade it's legal in every single state and territory in Australia to have an abortion.

That means, it's a woman's choice what she does with her own body.

The first and only female winner of Best Director at the Oscars.

We include this win for women, in the most bittersweet of ways.

Since 1929 - the year of the very first Academy Award ceremony - only one woman has ever won the Academy Award for Best Director.

In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow took home that honour, and we're disappointed to report that she is so far the only woman to do so.

Bigelow received the award for directing 2009's The Hurt Locker. She also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, which was the first time a woman has ever earned that honour as well.

The first all-female spacewalk.

In October 2019, history was made high above earth as NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir undertook the first all-female spacewalk.

Previously 14 women and 213 men had been on space-walks. Because of the in-balance, the majority of data available is on male astronauts, despite evidence that there are gender related differences in responses to a space environment.

One study found that women are more likely than men to experience faintness as a result of “orthostatic hypotension”, a cardiovascular issue. While men appear more prone to vision changes caused by spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome, reports The Guardian. 

It's so, so important we have women carving out the same paths as men in our modern society, and this spacewalk was a huge signifier that we're actually moving towards that.

Ash Barty, World Number One.

Ash Barty's achievements this year have been monumental for Australia, women, sport and the Indigenous community.

After very nearly abandoning the sport in late 2014, Barty, a proud First Nation's woman ended 2019 with the WTA Tennis world No.1 ranking. She is only the second Australian woman to ever hold the title.

She won her first Grand Slam title, the French Open, and was awarded the Newcombe Medal for the third consecutive year as Australia’s most outstanding performer of 2019.

In November, the 23-year-old won the WTA final and claimed the biggest winner’s cash prize in tennis history – for men or women – with $US 4.42 million ($6.4 million).

The Matildas closed the pay gap.

This, another 2019 achievement, is another huge moment for women's sport this decade.

In November, Football Federation Australia and Professional Footballers Australia reached a landmark agreement that closed the pay gap between Australia’s national teams, the Socceroos and Matildas.

And in the same month, Kerr signed a nearly $2 million deal with the Chelsea Football Club, making her one of the highest-paid female footballers in the world.

Rhianna's Fenty and no more Victoria's Secret.

Wow. What a decade it has been for women's bodies.

With the demise of women's magazines and the invention of social media we've had huge highs and lows for women. But the positive thing to celebrate this decade is us closing out the last 10 years that much closer to a reality that's attainable for women - being themselves; in which ever shape, gender, or size that happens to be.

In 2019 it's about celebrating all bodies - however they come. About ditching airbrushing and embracing ourselves and our desires exactly as they are.

Two of the big steps forward in the body positivity/body neutrality movement came this year. We had Rhianna's fashion week Savage X Fenty show which highlighted all different types of women. It wasn't just about having "token diversity" which has been the trap for many brands this decade - it was authentic and it nailed it.

There was cellulite, big bodies, small bodies, pregnant bodies, different cultures, ethnicities. It changed the conversation.

Then to add cream to that cake, we had the cancellation of the Victoria's Secret Fashion show.

24 years since the first ‘angels’ walked down the runway - after months of speculation, record low ratings, and a growing groundswell of dissent, Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, L Brands, confirmed it would be no more.

The cancellation marked a true change in what society deems as acceptable when it comes to how we talk about, and herald women's bodies. They refused to diversify and normalise, so they were cut.

The Women's March.

In January, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump the largest single-day protest in US history was held. Marches were also held worldwide.

Women took to the streets marching, to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights, immigration, healthcare, reproductive rights, the environment, LGTIQ rights , racial equality and freedom of religion. It was in response to Trump's comments and statements, many of which were considered anti-women or otherwise offensive.

The marches sent a bold message to the new government of America on the first day in office.

Gay marriage was passed in Australia.

It took us a while, but we finally got there.

Same-sex attracted Australians have endured decades of being told they are less-than, that their relationships aren’t worthy, aren’t legitimate, that their love is somehow threatening. But on December 7, 2017, our parliament told them otherwise.

It marked an exciting new chapter for our country, one where same-sex attracted residents were finally allowed to do the same as their heterosexual counterparts - marry the one they love.

January 9, 2018 became the first day couples could officially say "I do" under the new laws, and ever since our country has proven (in at least some ways) we are really evolving and moving forward as a nation.

This list is only a very small handful of the wins this decade, but an important reminder to look back and see how far we've come.

What a decade. What a fight. We're excited as to what we can achieve in the decade to come.

What's a moment from the last decade that you think was defining for women? Let us know in the comments below.