2021 year in review - 27th December 2021

2021 featured in a number of positive achievements as we transitioned from a turbulent 2020 marked by the Covid-19 crisis.

Women pushed forward with their drive for equality in the music industry, language and the corporate world. Beyoncé clinched Song of the Year at the Grammys for 'I Can't Breathe', composed to uplift a country enduring a tumultuous period in its history, while Taylor Swift scooped the Album of the Year gong for a third time, the first ever female artist to achieve this feat.

Demanding gender equality, women in Czechia pushed for language rights, wishing to mitigate gender bias with the right to take the masculine form of a surname. The decision on this now lies with parliament. Women's surnames were not the only things looking to change. Ukrainian low cost carrier SkyUp transformed its women's cabin crew uniforms from tight skirts and high heels to more practical wear after women employees recorded their discontent in a company survey.

In Japan, women have proved a force to be reckoned with. The 'Womenomics' movement has spurred an 80 percent increase in women's employment, realising the potential of married women to help improve Japan's economic situation.

Alongside historic progress, historic discoveries in art and culture were made in 2021. A 12th century bathhouse was uncovered in Seville, Spain, after business owners chanced upon Islamic art behind the walls of their bar while giving it a facelift. And an Indonesian cave system became home to the world's oldest rock art when a 45,500 year old painting portraying a wild boar was discovered.

From uncovering historical artworks to their restitution, in a move to recognise the spiritual and ancestral heritage of the Nigerian people, the University of Cambridge returned 'Okukur', the Benin Bronze cockerel, which since 1905, had taken pride of place in a college dining hall. Steps have also been taken towards greater recognition of indigenous cultures and peoples. A figure of Columbus in central Mexico City was relocated from its plinth and one of an Olmec woman erected in its place to honour past and present indigenous cultures. Similar initiatives in some US states and Latin American nations have involved renaming Columbus Day out of respect for the indigenous inhabitants of these lands.

The pandemic has also influenced our everyday habits, with an upsurge in TV and video viewership resulting in companies such as Netflix, TikTok and YouTube surging ahead with the highest global market growth. Entertainment consumption wasn't the only habit on the rise, as extra investments into new at-home pastimes also spiked. And as a counterweight to these pandemic-inspired investments soaring in the UK, buyers' remorse at unwanted purchases also reached a new peak.

Zoo animals have seen their lives affected by coronavirus, with asymptomatic zookeepers inadvertently transmitting Covid-19 to several species in US zoos. Fortunately, these creatures have now received doses of the new Zoetis vaccine, a Covid vaccine developed specifically for veterinary purposes.

Even though Covid-19 has woven itself into the fabric of our current existence, we've not only acclimated and made the necessary adjustments to it, but have also endeavoured to improve our world.