All eyes are focused on women, as we celebrate Women's History Month in March. This year's theme proudly proclaims, "Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all."

Progress may be an understatement for womanhood's journey throughout the years. We have truly come a long way, as wives, mothers,  daughters, executives, doctors, lawyers, politicians and so much more. Here's a brief look at some landmark dates in women's history:

• Ninety years ago, in 1920, the American woman found her voice as the 19th Amendment was signed into law, granting women the right to vote in the United States. By law, 90 years ago, women became equal to men on the political playing field. Women finally had a say on who represented them--on who led them in their government.
   
• Twenty years down the line, in 1942, posters of Rosie the Riveter were plastered everywhere. Rosie symbolized women's strength and courage--the ability to pick up where the men had left off. She was the spark to a blaze of working women today.
   
• Twenty-two years later, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was expanded to prohibit employment discrimination not only based on race, but also gender. Working women triumphed again. Just think--would Hewlett Packard still have seated Carly Fiorina as its CEO without this critical change in employment laws? Oh, but make no mistake; she was qualified to be CEO.

The momentous ticks on the women's history timeline extend both into the past and undoubtedly into the future. The milestones set forth by legends such as Margaret Chase Smith, Hillary Clinton, Sally Ride and Marie Curie only inspire us to continue the fight.

But the final victory isn't won yet.

It sounds good that women make up almost 50 percent of today's American work force. The number of employed women has grown from 48.8 percent in December 2007 to 49.9 percent in January 2010, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation report, which, by the way, excludes those employed in the agriculture sector.

That increase may not seem like a lot, but it is a few points closer to the major milestone of 50 percent. It's interesting to note, however, when this jump occurred: during the recession.

Men have accounted for nearly 75 percent of jobs lost since the economic slump began in December 2007, according to The Shriver Report. It also states that 2 million wives are supporting their families while their unemployed husbands seek work.

This kind of trend has been documented in previous recessions--male employment tends to fall at a higher rate than female employment, according to BLS reports.

While the number of employed women is growing, the rate of that growth has significantly slowed, especially compared with the rate during the 1970s and '80s. So, there is still room for closing the gender gap.

The fact that the rate is slow and steady shouldn't undermine women's progress toward equality, though. You know the old story about the tortoise and the hare? Perhaps women listened.

The World Economic Forum in Davos produces an annual Global Gender Gap. This year's report, which reflects data from 2009, shows the United States scoring four points lower in its index rating. In 2008, the U.S. ranked 27 out of 134 countries. For 2009, we ranked 31.

Iceland ranks No. 1. It's interesting to note that Iceland experienced a deep financial crisis in 2008-09, including the collapse of all three of the country's major banks.

Although Rwanda is not one of the countries listed in the Gender Gap Report, one of the discussions in Davos this year focused on how to achieve gender parity, something Rwanda is on the right track to accomplish.

Ideas thrown into the mix about how to reach this goal included mentorship and women entrepreneurship, as well as quotas set forth by law. John Rwangombwa, Rwanda's minister of finance and economic planning, provided the best example of how well quotas work.

Rwanda has taken the world lead in being the first country to have women account for more than half of its members of Parliament. Law mandates that at least 30 percent must be women, but the country has gone far beyond that quota: 56 percent of the members of Parliament are women.

As for the number of U.S. Congresswomen, the figure is a lot lower at 17 percent. For this category in the 2010 Gender Gap Report, the U.S. scored a 0.20 out of 1.0.

So, there is still some distance to go. Looking at Rwanda, we can see that women in developing countries are sending a message to American women and the world: There is more progress to be made, more equality to be shared and more opportunities to be seized.