10 Fairygodboss Moments Of 2015

2015 was a great year for women. Looking back, here are some of our favorite moments.

1. In February, Patricia Arquette issues a rally cry for women to achieve equal pay in her Oscars speech. It's not necessarily easy for celebrities to use their fame to advocate for their beliefs - so we applaud her for taking a stand.

2. In March, all eyes were on the dirty laundry aired during the Ellen Pao trial. While it didn't end well for her, we all benefitted from the focus on the challenges women in the tech industry face. Looking back, she is sanguine about how things are improving for women.  

3. In April, Hillary Clinton finally announces her candidacy for POTUS, making her the first female candidate to enter the ring. The new grandmother called for equal pay, and better maternity leave legislation for American women in her campaign speeches.

4. In May, Carly Fiorina throws in her hat to the ring, making it the first time two women have a shot at winning the country's highest office. She, too, takes on feminist causes and makes us laugh about an otherwise serious matter: gender equality in the workplace.

5. Come July, Lena Dunham launches Lenny Letter, giving us all a dose of funny and insightful feminist news in her weekly email.

6. In time for back-to-school, Anne-Marie Slaughter weighs in on why its hard for anyone to "have it all" in a toxic work culture. Her book released in September, "Unfinished Business" sparks a national conversation about how women and men suffer when we pursue work at the expense of everything else. This is perfectly timed to follow a spate of announcements by tech companies Netflix, Adobe and Microsoft about expanded maternity leave policies.

7. In October, California passes the nation's toughest Equal Pay law and Gloria Steinem releases her decades-long memoir in-the-making Life on the Road about all the progress women have made in the arenas of government, public policy, and reproductive rights and how we must keeping fighting the good fight.

8. In November, Reese Witherspoon shows us yet again why she's America's sweetheart at the Glamour Women of the Year award gala. Her speech inspired girls and women around the world.

9. This month, we saw a significant win for women looking for equal rights in the military. U.S. Defense Secretary Carter announced in the early weeks of this month that women could join the ranks of those in combat roles. In a year where we saw the first female Rangers graduate, we think its about time!

10. Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine both celebrated two superstars - who happen to be women -  on their covers. Serena Williams was named Sportsperson of the Year and Frau Angela Merkel was nominated Time's Person of the Year for holding together the European Union during a year of existential, refugee and currency crisis.

We clearly have a lot to celebrate this year and can't wait to see what 2016 brings!