Three Women Awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

I saw this announcement in today's AAUW Washington Update, and thought it worth sharing:

Three Women Awarded 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

The chairmen of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjoern Jagland, announced on Friday that three women, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni opposition leader Tawakkul Karman,  were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their courageous contributions to peace in Liberia and to the continuing struggle for democracy in Yemen. These women were hailed as visionary leaders who have peacefully sparked reform in societies usually dominated by men. Jagland said, “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.”

AAUW believes in the need for political, economic and social empowerment of women, and applauds these three Nobel Peace Prize winners.