The year 2022 emerged as a tumultuous and deeply transformative period, marked by historic advancements for women alongside profound global challenges to their fundamental rights.

Across continents, women stood at the very center of defining sociopolitical movements, shifting cultural paradigms, and groundbreaking achievements in leadership and justice. It was a year where the battle for autonomy was fought with renewed fervor on both local and international stages.

In the realms of law, governance, and science, women achieved milestones that reshaped institutional histories. The United States Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female Supreme Court Justice, signaling a long-awaited shift in the highest judicial body of the nation.

In Europe, the European Parliament passed landmark legislation mandating gender quotas on corporate boards, ensuring women would occupy at least forty percent of non-executive director seats by 2026.

Scientific frontiers were expanded as well, with female researchers leading crucial projects in aerospace and biotechnology, while cultural landscapes were elevated by the profound literary recognition of French author Annie Ernaux, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Concurrently, a powerful awakening shaped the landscape of women's spirituality, inner resilience, and collective solidarity. In the face of intense societal displacement and collective grief, women increasingly turned inward and toward one another, redefining spiritual community outside traditional boundaries.

This manifested in a surging global interest in ancestral healing, earth-based practices, and inclusive ministries that actively rejected patriarchal structures. Rather than serving as an isolationist escape, spirituality in 2022 acted as a vital energetic engine for social activism, providing the psychological grounding and moral fortitude required to endure systemic oppression and foster profound community healing.

Yet, these significant triumphs were deeply entangled with stark regressive actions and immense systemic adversity, most notably felt when the United States Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade Overturned

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overruled Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on the grounds that the substantive right to abortion was not deeply rooted in this Nation's history or tradition, nor considered a right when the Due Process Clause was ratified in 1868, and was unknown in U.S. law until Roe.

This view was disputed by some legal historians and criticized by the dissenting opinion, which argued that many other rights - contraception, interracial marriage, and same-sex marriage - did not exist when the Due Process Clause was ratified in 1868, and thus were unconstitutional by the Dobbs majority's logic. The decision was supported and opposed by the anti-abortion and abortion-rights movements in the United States, respectively, and was generally condemned by international observers and foreign leaders.

This monumental ruling stripped away nearly fifty years of constitutional reproductive protections, instantly transforming the healthcare landscape, forcing the closure of clinics nationwide, and sparking an unprecedented wave of legal battles, medical confusion, and fierce political mobilization.

Furthermore, the escalation of conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine, disproportionately subjected women and girls to displacement, economic instability, and heightened vulnerabilities to gender-based violence.

Overall in 2022 was a year defined by an intense duality of severe structural setbacks and fierce, historic resistance that ultimately proved women to be an unstoppable force against regression and the core defenders of human freedom.

Hijab rules have nothing to do with Islamic tenets and everything to do with repressing women   PhysOrg - October 10, 2022

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was held by Iran's morality police for not complying with the country's hijab rules has drawn global attention to the repression of women in Iran. Neighboring Saudi Arabia, a Sunni country, theologically and politically opposed to Shiite Iran, has similar restrictive rules when it comes to women.

There are two meanings to the saying, 'Clothes make the man'. Now let's add, 'Clothes make the woman'. Simply put it means that people are judged based on the clothing they wear and are treated accordingly. On a deeper level this phrase can be understood to mean that by dressing in a certain manner you can actually shape your behavior and affect the way you perform. "if you look good you feel good and it shows".

Older women who regularly wash up, clean their house and cook meals have healthier hearts than those who avoid housework, research claims   Daily Mail - February 22, 2022
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Women who regularly wash dishes, clean the house and cook meals have healthier hearts than those who sit back and take it easy, a study suggests. Scientists at the University of California followed 5,500 women who were asked to wear movement-tracking gadgets for a week. Results showed women who did at least four hours of 'daily life movement' cut their risk of a death from a heart attack or stroke by almost two thirds.

Remaking history: Hand-making 400-year-old corset designs leads to understanding of how they impacted women   PhysOrg - February 21, 2022

Despite these challenges, making historical corsets taught me to think like a tailor, to understand why specific materials or techniques were used and to assess the artisanal making knowledge that we have lost. The experimental process of reconstructing 400-year-old garments has taught me many things about historical making practices, women's experiences and about not believing everything you read.

Queen Elizabeth

Death of Queen Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926 - September 8, 2022)

Camilla will be Queen: Elizabeth II uses Platinum Jubilee message to elevate Charles' second wife   CNN - February 5, 2022

Prince Charles leads Jubilee tributes to 'remarkable' Queen   BBC - February 6, 2022

Video: NASA wants to land Americans back on the moon. These women are making it happen   Today Show - February 3, 2022

In the United States' effort to return to the moon, women key to the operation hope to make history in the final frontier. The women behind the Artemis program - Sharon Cobb, who leads the team that designed and built the powerful space launch system; Laura Poliah, who helped build the Orion capsule on top; Stephanie Wilson, an astronaut who could fly on one of the missions; and Charlie Blackwell Thompson, the first female launch director - sat down with NBC News' Anne Thompson in an interview on TODAY Wednesday to discuss the revolutionary mission.

Afghanistan's women's rights activists tested Taliban in Oslo, but expect few advancements   ABC - February 3, 2022

Khamosh was one of six Afghan women who were invited to sit with Taliban officials as they made their first invited visit to a Western country since taking control of Afghanistan in August. The talks were to discuss the humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan. The invitation led to different reactions from Afghanistan's various women's rights activists, with some welcoming it as a chance for Afghan-to-Afghan negotiations. Others felt that Taliban rule should not be normalized by holding such meetings and casted doubts on the trustworthiness of their promises.

Afghan universities reopen with small number of women attending   Al Jazeera - February 2, 2022

Meet the Most Important Jewish Woman in Medieval England   Smithsonian - February 1, 2022

When Licoricia of Winchester, an English moneylender who counted among her clients Henry III and members of his court, was found murdered in her home in 1277, news of her death circulated widely, even reaching Jewish communities in Germany. The level of interest generated by Licoricia's killing reflected her unique position in medieval English society: She was Jewish, she was rich and she was a woman. Now, approximately 745 years after Licoricia's murder - amid a worrying uptick in anti-Semitism across Europe - a statue of the Jewish businesswoman is set to be installed in her home city of Winchester, where organizers hope it will promote tolerance and diversity in today’s society while shedding light on an oft-overlooked chapter in local history, according to a statement. Now, approximately 745 years after Licoricia's murder - amid a worrying uptick in anti-Semitism across Europe - a statue of the Jewish businesswoman is set to be installed in her home city of Winchester, where organizers hope it will promote tolerance and diversity in today's society while shedding light on an oft-overlooked chapter in local history, according to a statement.

The woman who can see 100 million colors   Guardian - February 1, 2022

As a kid, Concetta Antico was always a bit out of the box, but it took decades for her to discover just how differently she was seeing the world

New Jersey has named my daughter Zsia Rosmarin as a top influencer in the women in business list for Women in Business 2022. In addition to being a business partner that serves as the Women in Tech Team Leader, Zsia is also co-leader of Women of Wisdom and internal team member resource group whose mission is to support and empower women team members.

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