Danielle Banner

The global pandemic has created exceptional challenges across the board, and uprooted the roles, responsibilities, and priorities of essentially every working person on the planet, from CEO to intern and everyone in between.

The powerful women in the political world are changing our worldview in more ways than one. Gone are the days when only men were in charge. Women are finally taking the reins and have already gone where no man has gone before. They build empires, regulate economies and, for better or for worse, inform the future of their sectors and the entire world. Given that the road for women in the politics is often thorny and sometimes treacherous, their achievements appear even more impressive. No doubt these powerful women are fighting to make their presence known in the political world. We see you, Ladies.

Women have been working hard all year breaking glass ceilings and making changes that are desperately needed in our world. Accomplishments were made in the elections, in sports, in the entertainment industry, in tax code, and on college campuses across the US. The settings of these accomplishments varied, but combined, they made this a great year for women! Here are just 12 of the most important accomplishments for women in 2016.

The rise of feminist punk was a pivotal moment in the history of rock music and a pivotal movement for women in general. Before the 1970s, the list of greatest rock bands and artists read like this: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. Along with other seminal music from that era, it was mostly dominated by male artists.

This list celebrates some of the most innovative women in food: with a huge range of specialities and careers, they are all bringing their creativity to the food industry in very different ways. We’ll be looking at their work and the ideas they have each become known for and explore the different strengths that these women have brought to their careers. The one thing that all the most innovative women in food have in common, though, is the impact that they are having on our own eating habits.

Powerful female engineers deliver a promise of change, progress and equity in the workforce. Historically, women haven’t had the means or the ways to advance careers in engineering or technology. Today, women no longer need to take a backseat in the tech world. While still heavily male dominated, a growing number of techy women have emerged full force and are leading a new generation of engineers. They’ve placed themselves in uncomfortable situations, institutions where they felt different, classes where they felt marginalized, and work environments that felt hostile. Yet these women have persevered as beacons of hope for our future generations.