This year marks the 111th International Women’s Day celebrated since 1911 to commemorate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women while taking a stand to accelerate women’s equality. 

The year’s theme, #BreakTheBias, calls for a gender-equal world, free of stereotypes and discrimination, where differences are valued. It urges each and every one of us to break the bias in our communities, schools, and workplaces. Only then are we able to level the playing field. 

Every woman deserves to be celebrated for overcoming adversity on International Women’s Day because no step in the right direction is too small. Here are five women taking major leaps to #BreakTheBias in 2022: 

  1. Mia Mottley

Mottley is Barbados’ first female prime minister whose performance during the Cop26 climate talks garnered her international attention. In 2021, she turned heads when her government pulled the Queen from her position as head of state and installed Rihanna as an official national hero. In her victory speech for her second straight land-slide election win earlier this year, she said her government will “lead the country first to safety and then to prosperity.”

2. Najla Bouden Romdhane

The former geology professor at the National School of Engineers was named  Tunisia’s first female prime minister in September 2021. This came two months after President Kais Saeid assumed executive power. Tunisian citizens are hoping that Romdahne’s appointment will pave the way for a stronger future as they battle economic and political crises.

3. Nemonte Nenquimo

Living on her ancestral land, deep in the lush Amazon Rainforest in the middle of Ecuador, Nemonte Nenquimo, a member of the Waorani is of “warrior blood.” In 2019, she filed a suit against the Ecuadorian government when they failed to alert the estimated one million indigenous people living in the forest that they had sold massive amounts of land to oil companies. Nenquimo’s victory is a monumental moment for the indigenous communities residing in the Amazon Basin, earning her the United Nations Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth award for Inspiration and Action in 2020. 

4. Krystl Fabella

Fabella is the creator of the podcast Filipina on the Rise that highlights inspiring Filipina women around the world. Throughout the podcast, she weaves a narrative journey of Filipina women who are breaking cultural and social barriers. According to her mission statement, Fabella seeks to “empower our community to see greatness in ourselves, educate the world who we are and celebrate what it means to be Filipina!”

5. Ketanji Brown Jackson

Making United States history, Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated by President Biden to become the first Black female sitting on the Supreme Court in February. She’s an experienced judge with an extensive legal background, and if selected, will be one of the first justices to have represented indigent criminal defendants. Most recently, while sitting on the appeals court, she was part of the unanimous court decision to uphold the congressional subpoena for White House records regarding the January 6 insurrection.

Although these are just a few of the incredible women deserving of praise on International Women’s Day, they serve as an inspiration and a testament to the strength of femininity. Only together can we #BreakTheBias. These women show the world that each and every one of us is a force to be reckoned with.