Miss Universe to allow married women, mothers! New rule to be rolled out next year

After more than 70 years, the United States–based Miss Universe Organisation, which conducts the Miss Universe pageant, will now allow married women and mothers to participate starting from the 72nd edition of the global pageant in 2023.

Until now, the organisation permitted only single women - aged between 18 and 28, who have never been married or had children - to apply.

According to media reports, mentioning an internal memo of the pageant, the Miss Universe Organisation says that the latest decision was the natural next step as it has always strived to evolve with the times.

The memo reads: ”We all believe that women should have agency over their lives and that a human's personal decisions should not be a barrier to their success.”

Apart from the Miss Universe pageant, the New York-based Miss Universe Organisation also owns the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.

The contest has already seen many more rules change with the times. For example; last year, Miss Universe Bahrain chose to walk the swimsuit round in fully-covered sportswear.