What long term effect will Kathryn Bigelows win for 'Best Director' have on other women?

At the 2010 Oscars ceremony on March 7, history was made when, for the first time ever, a woman has won the prestigious award for 'Best Director'.

What is most remarkable about this victory is the fact that she was nominated against her ex-husband James Cameron who was nominated for "Avatar".

To be nominated is rare. To be nominated for Best Director is an even greater achievement. To be nominated for Best Director against your ex-husband and win and break the 82 year history list of all-men victors is a story that seems a little too crazy, even for the movies.

It also seems unjust to think that it has taken 82 years for a woman to win the award for Best Director. Might this perhaps this have something to do with the snobbery of the Academy or is the long run of all-male winners a by product of a lack of women in the 'Best Director' category?

You may think it's a bit of both but before you jump to any conclusions, it might be worthwhile to consider how many women have been nominated in this category in times past.

In the 82 year history of the Oscars, there have only been three other times when a woman was nominated for Best Director.

The other 3 females nominated for a best Director award are:
Sophia Coppola, Lina Wertmuller and Jane Campion.
Now that Kathryn Bigelow has created Oscar history as the first female to win the 'Best Director' award, there will absolutely be more women to be nominated and victorious for future Oscar ceremonies. It just seems too unlikely to think it would take another 82 years for this to happen again.
Her win will also further inspire and motivate more women to direct movies along with increasing their beliefs of what's possible.

It may not seem like much now, but Kathryn Bigelow may very likely end up becoming as iconic a figure for the Oscars as Roger Bannister is in the world of running.
Roger Bannister, is the first person to run a 4 minute mile and that momentous event caused him to smash the belief of what's possible when he became the first person to create the new world record.
Kathryn Bigelow may have done the same for women directors with her historic win at the 2010 Oscars.

When inspiring history is made, it's witnessing these unprecedented moments that allow us to be invigorated with possibility and hope so that we can continue in the pursuit of our dreams.

Having these kinds of role models are great to have when you're trying to work at something and it begins to feel hopeless. When it feels like the wind has been knocked out of your sails, having people to look up to and model makes all the difference in your world.

Who knows how many people will now be inspired to use Kathryn Bigelow as their mentor?
With that said, how about if women won the Best Director award for the next 82 years in a row?
Nah… that seems way too unrealistic.

"Let's be realists, let's do the impossible."-Che Guevara