to allow mothers and married women to compete in the pageant for the FIRST TIME in 70 years

• For the first time in its history, Miss Universe is updating its eligibility rule by allowing married women and mothers to compete
• For the last 70 years, the pageant was previously only available to women who had never been married or had children, but it has now changed its rules
• The new rule will take affect for the 72nd Miss Universe pageant, which is set to take place in 2023
• Andrea Meza, 27, who represented Mexico and was crowned Miss Universe in 2020, noted the new rule was long overdue and told Insider it's 'incredible'

For the first time in its history, Miss Universe is updating its eligibility rule and making a huge change in its selection process by allowing married women and mothers to compete. 

For the last 70 years, the pageant was only available to women who had never been married or had children, but now, both mothers and married women can enter the pageant. The new rule will take affect during the 72nd Miss Universe pageant, which is set to take place in 2023. '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,' an internal memo obtained by The National said.+8View galleryFor the first time in its history, Miss Universe is updating its eligibility rule by allowing married women and mothers to compete (Miss Universe 2020 pageant is pictured)