What is it about human nature that seeks closure? As we wind down 2011 the internet is chock-full of Top 10, Best Of, Worst Of, Most Memorable and other lists that attempt to wrap up the year in a nice little package.
Coming up with such a list on the topic of women's issues is a tough task. There were notable transitions, prominent events, unexpected endings and bold new starts; but how can any of us accurately judge what's truly worth remembering and preserving for the future? One thing's for sure: you won't see any mention of Kim Kardashian, Casey Anthony, Kate Middleton or Snooki here. Celebrity is one thing, but merit is another.
The following list is neither comprehensive nor presented in any particular order, but it includes some of the top women's issues stories of 2011. If I've left anything out, add your own observations in the comments section below.
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Goodbye Girl(s)
Oprah did it only after reaching a milestone -- 25 years -- while Meredith and Katie only lasted 5. All three women left their high-profile TV shows in 2011: Oprah ended her daily syndicated talk show on May 25; Meredith Viera said goodbye to her NBC TODAY show co-hosts on June 8; and Katie Couric signed off from the CBS Evening News on May 19 where five years earlier she'd broken new ground as as the first solo female network TV anchor.
So where are they now? Oprah's jumped in with both feet into her next big adventure, running her OWN network; Katie hopes to fill Oprah's shoes with a new daytime talk show launching in Sept. 2012; and Meredith will keep her toe in the water as a contributor to Brian William's newsmagazine Rock Center. After years of talking the talk, they were probably eager to start walking on the path to something new.
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Photo of Stand Up for Women's Health Rally © Doris Lin
Women's Health Care Under Attack
The greatest assault Congress has mounted against women's health care came to a head in 2011 as Republicans pulled out all stops in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood and slash family planning services to those women in greatest need. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi sounded the alarm early on while one group falsified videos to back up their claims against Planned Parenthood. In response, supporters organized a Stand Up for Women's Health rally in April. Although the defunding attempt eventually failed, every woman in America should be on alert: women's health care is still not safe -- not by a long shot.
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Photo of Geraldine Ferraro © Lawrence Lucier/Getty Images
Dearly Departed
In 2011 we mourned the loss of pioneering First Lady Betty Ford, legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, and Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated for Vice President by a major party. Ford changed the way we looked at breast cancer and addiction, Taylor was the first Hollywood star to earn $1 million per movie, and Ferraro never blinked at the endless sexism she encountered sharing the presidential ticket with Walter Mondale. Strong women never die -- they simply live on in our hearts.
Related articles:
- Visionary First Lady - Betty Ford's Advocacy for Breast Cancer and Addiction Awareness and the ERA
- Death of a Trailblazer - Geraldine Ferraro, First Female VP on a Major Party Ticket
- Remembering Elizabeth Taylor, a Woman in 'Active Control'
Photo of Lara Logan © Chris Hondros/Getty Images
She Doesn't Deserve This
Rape and sexual assault are two of the most difficult crimes to prosecute and in most cases the perpetrators go free. Two high-profile cases -- the assault and beating of CBS correspondent Lara Logan and the alleged rape of hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo by then-IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn -- did not lead to justice in the traditional sense, but they did trigger a reexamination of our tendency to blame the victim and ways we can better support victims of sexual violence.
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- Rape, Beating, Sexual Assault of CBS Correspondent Lara Logan
- Strauss-Kahn Case Illustrates Victims' Fear That 'No One Will Believe Me'
Photo of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf © Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
Good Things Come in Threes
Although comedian Robin Williams jokingly said, "If women ran the world, we wouldn't have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days," perhaps he was onto something. The idea that global peace and women's rights go hand in hand was made clear when -- for the first time in its history -- the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peacemaker Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni anti-government protester Tawakkul Karman. Less well known but just as dedicated, three teen girls took top honors in the 2011 Google Science Fair, proving that anything boys can do girls can do better.
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- Three Women's Rights Activists Share 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
- Google Science Fair Picks Three Female Winners
Photo of Giffords Supporters © Laura Segall/Getty Images
Against All Odds
On January 8, 2011, a lone gunman approached Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) at a constituent "meet and greet" at a Safeway supermarket and pulled the trigger at point-blank range. Although Giffords miraculously survived, others in attendance were not so lucky. Six people were killed and 18 others injured, prompting us to wonder if the divisive and bitter rhetoric in Washington, DC had led to such a horrific act. In the months that followed, we watched a brave woman struggle to reclaim her life and her sense of self, while her husband juggled his wife's care and his day job as an astronaut scheduled on one of the final NASA space shuttle flights.
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Photo of Herman Cain © Davis Turner/Getty Images
Hope Floats
If denial is a river in Egypt, then both Rep. Anthony Weiner and presidential candidate Herman Cain barely stayed afloat once a flood of accusations swamped their respective political careers.
In Weiner's case, he sexted with -- and sent lewd photos of himself to -- half a dozen females and couldn't come up with a simple answer to the yes or no question, "Is that underwear photo of you?" Cain took a different approach; he bluntly stated that every woman who claimed to have been sexually harassed by him was a liar. (The one who said she'd had an affair with him he acknowledged being friends with -- but of course his wife knew nothing about their relationship.)
Eventually, both sank under the weight of their own shifting stories. Hope floats, but the truth will set you -- and the numerous women you've victimized -- free.
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