Seeing as how we are in the midst of Women's History Month, it seemed especially appropriate Sunday night when another milestone was reached.
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to be named Best Director at the Academy Awards ceremony.
Her accomplishment was well-deserved, but it should not have been surprising. Frankly we don't see why a minimum amount of testosterone should be a requirement for outstanding achievement ... in movies or anything else.
It's true that only three other women have even been nominated for Best Director in the 82-year history of the Oscars: Lina Wertmüller for "Seven Beauties," Jane Campion for "The Piano" and Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation."
What is apparent is that the paucity of women in that category is the result of long-withheld opportunity rather than any lack of ability.
The same, of course, holds true in so many other endeavors. Women's contributions to history rarely appeared in textbooks until recently, and truth be known, are still understated.
Women's studies courses have blossomed in recent years, and they were also long overdue.
"Women's History Week" began in 1978 in Sonoma County, Calif., and March 8 was selected as "International Women's Day."
In 1981, a joint Congressional resolution proclaimed "Women's History Week," and in 1987, Congress expanded it to a month-long event every March.
There is, of course, much work yet to be done for women to reach equality, as evinced by these 2008 statistics from the U.S. Census.
The median annual earnings of females 15 or older who worked year-round, full time was 77 cents for every dollar earned by males.
Yet, it's apparent that women have already surpassed men in many areas.
The number of women 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more education was 29.4 million, compared to 28.4 million men.
Women had more high school diplomas and associate, bachelor's and master's degrees, although more men than women had a professional or doctoral degree.
In fall 2008, women comprised 55 percent of college students.
Women owned 72 percent of social assistance businesses and just more than half of nursing and residential care facilities.
As of Oct. 1, 2009, there were 155.8 million women in the United States, and 151.8 men, and 66 percent of women vote, compared to 62 percent of men. That means women can control who runs the country.
Oh, and of Americans 85 years or older, there are more than twice as many women as men.
It has become more and more apparent that women will be making more and more history _ every month of the year.
