8 depressing/uplifting things we learned about women this year

Here's a gentle reminder: The current world population is around 7,350,000,000 and women make up 49.6 percent of it.

And that's it. Aside from that 50/50 split, women around the world don't enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men, from politics and economics to basic needs like access to education and safety in their own homes.

In 2015, while many old barriers remained strong, women made significant inroads in their journey towards equality. 

We've highlighted eight positives and negatives about women's issues across the globe in 2015 that we think you should know moving into 2016. 

Read more about the progress women have made since the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing. 

Read more about the alarming rise in maternal mortality in the US.

How much of your work as a woman is unpaid? Find out here.

Despite this global trend, one anti-domestic violence law on the books in Nicaragua is weakening. Learn more.

 Women at one prison in northern Thailand are getting a second chance through massage. Read the full story. 

In Japan, pregnant women and new moms still face harassment at work. Read the full story. 

Saudi women still have a long way to go to gender equality though. Learn more here and here.