By Annamarie Houlis for Fairygodboss
Women have infinite reasons to be proud. For starters, around 57 percent of the U.S. workforce is female, and 70 percent of women in the workforce also have children under 18 at home, as well. Even before women started entering the workforce in droves, they’ve always worked playing valuable roles in the pre-industrial market economy by laboring on family farms, for example. Some of history’s most powerful influencers are women — Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Cleopatra and Joan of Arc, for examples, are just a few who have earned international recognition and respect for how they’ve governed and inspired people.
And today’s women have evermore reasons to be proud. Just in the last year, women have made huge strides. Peggy Whitson — the first woman to command the International Space Station — broke the U.S. record for the most cumulative days spent in orbit. A royal decree lifted the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia. The voices of workplace sexual harassment victims across the U.S. were finally heard via massive global campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp. And studies show that women have moved into more leadership roles across all industries, including the male-dominated Silicon Valley with companies as big as PayPal.
But, yet, women are socialized to reject pride. Women are told that their successes are to be expected (though not necessarily rewarded), and they are seldom touted for their efforts behind those successes. If they do express pride, they’re all too often perceived as full of themselves. That’s why I’m super excited about the #ImProudofMyselfBecause hashtag currently trending on Twitter. Women everywhere are publicizing the many reasons they’re proud of themselves, and it’s hugely inspiring.
Here are some of the most awesome reasons to feel proud to inspire you to feel pride, too.
1. For Fighting Back
Source: Twitter
2. For Recovering from Struggles
Source: Twitter
3. For Being Supportive
Source: Twitter
4. For Achieving Goals
Source: Twitter
5. For Adulting Without Help
Source: Twitter
6. For Getting Things Done
Source: Twitter
7. For Dreaming Big
Source: Twitter
8. For Raising Inspiring Kids
Source: Twitter
9. For Beating Illnesses
Source: Twitter
10. For Being an Activist
Source: Twitter
AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. She’s an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.
A version of this post previously appeared on Fairygodboss, a leading career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.
