The year 2008 saw a significant election in the United States, but also many other events in the US and around the world that made the record book for women's history. Here are some highlights of 2008 from the perspective of women's history and feminism.
January 8: Hillary Clinton Wins New Hampshire Primary
After a surprise loss in Iowa to a little-known Illinois Senator, Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary on January 8, making her again a contender -- and making her the first woman presidential candidate to win a state primary of a major political party. She was also the first woman to run as a candidate in every state's presidential primary or caucus. By the end of the primary season, 18 million voters had cast votes for Hillary Clinton, giving rise to comments about "18 million cracks in the glass ceiling."In February, 2008, Martin Linsky writing in Newsweek suggested that "Obama is a female candidate for president in the same way that Bill Clinton was the first black president."
March: Olympic Conference on Women and Sport in Jordan
In March, the International Olympic Committee held a conference on women and sports in Jordan. Many of the Muslim nations attending agreed to work towards gender equality on their teams, and to encourage women reporters to cover the Olympics.April 19: First Woman Commander of the Space Station Returns to Earth
On April 19, Peggy Whitson returned to earth aboard Russian spacecraft Soyuz. She had served as commander of the International Space Station since her arrival there on October 10, 2007. She spent more time in space than any other astronaut from the United States, with a total of 377 days.April 20: First for Women in Racing
On April 20, Danica Patrick won in the Indy Japan 300, beating favorite (and "Dancing with the Stars" champion) Helio Castroneves. This was the first win by a woman in Indy Car, Formula One, or NASCAR Sprint Cup.April: Women are Majority in Spanish Cabinet
Also in April, newly elected Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero of Spain appointed nine women to his cabinet, making women the majority of the 17-member body.May: Female DNA Sequenced
In May, geneticists of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands announced that they had completed the first-ever DNA sequencing of a woman. Before Dr. Marjolein Kriek's DNA was sequenced, the procedure had been done on four men.Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri) awarded an honorary doctorate degree to conservative columnist and activist, and active anti-feminist, Phyllis Schlafly, over protests of faculty members, students, and people in the community.
July 2: Rights Activist Released in Colombia After Six Years' Captivity
Ingrid Belancourt, a Colombian-French human rights and women's rights activist and Green party candidate for the Colombian presidency, was released after six years of captivity by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.In July, the journal Science reported a study that went against long-accepted stereotypes that girls can't do math as well as boys can. In grades 2 through 11, boys and girls do equally well on standardized math tests, the study found, though there are still small gaps on the math section of the SAT. The results on the SAT are skewed, though, because many more girls than boys take that test.
