Feminist annual review: This is what the year 2024 was like for women

TheYear 2024is coming to an end and we are taking stock: like every year, there were heroines and villains. Brilliant moments of emancipation and new lows, for example when it comes to violence against women. Along with a lot of hope, there was also worry. Feminist opportunities that were taken and, unfortunately, many that were missed. We have themHighs und Lowssummarized for you.

Politically, things looked pretty bleak this year. This was already evident in the European elections in June: the AfD made significant gains, the traffic light parties and the Left emerged as losers from the elections. There is also a shift to the right across the EU. In Austria and France, a right-wing party became the strongest force. The results of the state elections in Thuringia were similar: Here the AfD became the strongest force, which is proven to be right-wing extremist in parts and has a top candidate in Björn Höcke who can officially be described as a “fascist”. These election results are a major threat to women. Because the stronger anti-democratic and anti-feminist forces become, the more women's rights and gender equality are at stake.

The biggest disappointment of this election year took place in November in the USA. For months, Vice President Kamala Harris ran a campaign that focused on women's rights. If she had been the first woman to enter the White House, it would have been a huge win for the women's movement. During the election campaign she had to listen to a lot of misogynistic crap - was insulted as a "childless cat lady" and ridiculed for her loud laughter. At the same time, women celebrated her as a feminist icon. In the end, unfortunately, that wasn't enough - and the USA is faced with a convicted sex offender as president.

2024 was the year of female artists in music. In March, Beyoncé released her country album “Cowboy Carter” and made history: She became the first black woman to top the US country album charts. But she wasn't the only woman who shook up the music industry this year. Charli xcx ushered in the pop girl summer with her album “brat”. With her songs about escapism, defiance and how “being a woman is sometimes so confusing,” she apparently sang from the hearts of many. In doing so, she rebelled against ideals of beauty and the patriarchy that wants to play us women off against each other.

Charli xcx shared her pop queen throne this year with Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. These two were also clearly aimed at a female audience and gave exactly what we so desperately needed: the female gaze. Of course, Taylor Swift's success story continued in 2024: At the Billboard Music Awards in Los Angeles, the singer won ten awards and thus secured the title of the most awarded artist in the history of the event. She also made history again in Spotify's annual review: for the first time since 2017, the most streamed act in Germany was not a German rapper, but Taylor Swift.

Violence against women and girls has also increased sharply this year. There was a clear increase during the men's European Football Championship, which was presumably related to the increase in alcohol and testosterone. UN Women called for comprehensive policy action against gender-based violence. And politicians responded: At the end of November, the cabinet passed a law on assistance against violence, which is intended to give all those affected a right to protection. It is unclear whether it will be passed before the election. At the beginning of December, the CDU and CSU also proposed reforming the murder law. Anyone who exploits their physical superiority should no longer be convicted of manslaughter, but of murder.

There is also news in the area of ​​reproductive rights: A new law is intended to protect pregnant women from so-called “sidewalk harassment”. Protests by abortion opponents are no longer allowed to take place within 100 meters of advice centers, practices and clinics. Anyone who fails to comply will have to pay a fine of up to 5,000 euros. The aim is to limit such gatherings in order to allow uninterrupted access to important facilities.

There was less progress in 2024 with paragraph 218: The traffic light commission spoke out in favor of partial legalization of abortions - an important step towards more self-determination. But several parties, especially the Union, are blocking it. Meanwhile, France is leading the way in Europe: the right to abortion was enshrined in the constitution this year.

This year, women have taken over the literary world. The most prestigious literary prize in the world went to a woman: the South Korean Han Kang won the Nobel Prize for Literature. She is known for her critical, openly feminist stories, in which she also criticizes the role of women in her home country. Han Kang is the 18th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (compared to 103 men).

The most important German literary prize – the German Book Prize – also went to a woman. Martina Hefters received the prize for her novel, “Hey good morning, how are you?” But unfortunately this moment was stolen from her by a man with a bruised ego: her co-nominee Clemens Meyer said he had to get attention by throwing a tantrum. He left the hall cursing the jury and winners; according to observers, he spoke of a betrayal of literature. Oh yes, and another big woman caused a lot of excitement this year with her book: Angela Merkel's biography “Freedom” is undisputedly number 1 on the non-fiction bestseller list.

Not a year without new #Metoo scandals. In September, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs arrested. The public prosecutor's office accuses him of numerous sexual crimes, and new charges are constantly being added. In addition, several civil lawsuits alleging rape, abuse, assault and sex trafficking have been ongoing for months.

However, another historic #MeToo verdict was overturned this year: that against ex-film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. But another rape trial from 2024 will probably be remembered in the same way: in France, a man was on trial for drugging his wife and offering to rape at least 50 other men. The injured party, Gisèle Pelicot, insisted that the trial take place in public. She wanted to point out the fate of other women and ensure that “rape culture ends and society changes.”

Princess Kate Middleton may also have saved a few lives this year with her openness. After she announced her cancer diagnosis in March, British media and institutions reported a run on the NHS cancer information pages, cancer foundation websites and research institutes. There was talk of several 100 percent increases! Thanks to their huge reach on social media, this could also encourage more people to seek preventative care internationally.