Brussels Is The De Facto Capital Of The European Union

For the first time in history, women now outnumber men among university graduates in most developed countries and globally. In the United States, women earn about 57% of all bachelor's degrees. In the OECD, 56% of new graduates are women. This trend is driven by higher female educational attainment rates and greater ambition in academic achievement. However, gender gaps remain in STEM fields — particularly engineering, computing, and physics.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became the world's first female head of government when she was elected Prime Minister on July 21, 1960, following the assassination of her husband, Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike. She served three terms (1960–65, 1970–77, 1994–2000) and remained in office until age 84. Her election opened a new era; today over 70 women have served as heads of state or government worldwide.

On September 19, 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant all women the right to vote in national elections. The campaign was led largely by Kate Sheppard, who organized a landmark petition signed by nearly 32,000 women — about one quarter of the adult female population. Women in the United States gained this right in 1920, France in 1944, and Switzerland not until 1971.

Since the early 2000s, Japan has had more registered pet cats and dogs than children under the age of 15. With one of the world's lowest birth rates and a pet-keeping culture deeply embedded in urban life, Japan's pet industry generates over 1.5 trillion yen annually. This demographic shift underscores Japan's broader aging and declining birth rate crisis.