International Women's Day, 2025
International Women's Day, 202
Throughout history, many women have been pioneers in their fields. Scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, artists, authors, environmental activists, journalists, and social reformists. These are but a few of the many areas in which women have led and inspired change.
There was a time where women could not vote. A time when African Americans and people of colour were held as slaves. There was a time where segregation was rampant throughout society, so much so, people could not use the same toilets, appliances, and were forced to sit at the back of the bus, merely due to the colour of their skin.
Change.
Change is what took place throughout history to reach a better future. One in which medical advancements have been made, diseases cured, new treatments found, and survival rates increased. A future in which we are treated as equals, in which we can all vote. A future in which language and culture is both preserved and respected.
Are we there yet? Not completely, but we have come a long way from where we were. There are still women fighting today for change and acceptance, for equal rights, equitable treatment, and an accessible society.
Women have helped pave the way towards equal rights, scientific advancements, and freedom.
Today is but one day among many to recognise, remember, and celebrate these amazing women and their achievements.
Below are 32 women who have helped changed history.
Marie Curie, 1867 - 1934
Founder of the new science of radioactivity, Marie Curie coined the term herself and helped pave the way forward in medical science. Through her research and discoveries, the world saw the rise of effective cures for cancer. Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, identified two previously unknown elements: radium and polonium, which was named after her home country, Poland.
She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a second Nobel Prize, and the first female professor at the University of Paris.
There was constant suspicion of her in Paris due to her Polish heritage, and of course, as a woman she was discriminated against. However, this did not deter her. Marie Curie continued to research, help equip ambulances with X-Ray equipment, and often drove to the frontline of the war herself, up until her death.
Rosa Parks, 1913 - 2005
Rosa Parks fought against segregation by refusing to vacate her seat for a white person. Her protest served to inspire fellow African Americans to challenge the unjust society through the civil rights movement, and in the 1960's, equal rights were gained.
Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858–1928
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union to campaign for the parliamentary vote for women in Britain. The Union's motto was: ‘Deeds, not words’.
Imprisoned 13 times during the mass movement, she continued to lead thousands of women to demand they be granted the right to vote.
Ada Lovelace, 1815–52
Ada Lovelace was a gifted mathematician, and she was the first computer programmer. With the industry dominated by men, even today, it is particularly important to remember the first was in fact a woman.
Rosalind Franklin, 1920–58
Rosalind Franklin was a crystallographer, and she provided the photographic evidence whereby the double helix structure of DNA was discovered.
Understanding the chemical foundations of heredity led to a range of innovations such as mapping the human genome, test-tube babies, and genetic engineering.
Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1814–1906
After being refused a job at Coutts Bank despite inheriting her grandfather's fortune and shares, Angela Burdett-Coutts pioneered social housing, built homes for the poor, and financed a range of projects including the redevelopment of East London.
Boudica, c30 - 61
Queen of the Iceni tribe during the Roman occupation of Britain, Boudica united different tribes in a Celtic revolt against Roman rule. She lef an army of roughly 100,000, and she succeeded in running the Romans out of modern-day Colchester, London, and Verulamium (St Albans).
Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961 – 97
Princess Diana is known internationally for her charity work and for helping sick children, banning landmines, and raising awareness for those affected by cancer, HIV/Aids, and mental illness.
Amelia Earhart, 1897 – c1937
Amelia Earhart, aged 24, began aviation in 1921. She broke the women's altitude record in 1922 and reached a height of 14,000 feet.
In 1932, she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Amelia Earhart continued to break speed and flying records across the following five years.
Josephine Butler, 1828 – 1906
Josephine Butler openly discussed the double sexual standard which existed in a male-dominated society in Victorian Britain.
She successfully campaigned against the repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts, as it made it compulsory for women to be medically examination on a regular basis, if believed to be a prostitute. They did not need proof, and male clients were not subject to the same law. Furthermore, she campaigned against child prostitution and international sex trafficking.
Mary Seacole, 1805 - 81
Mary Seacole, a nurse in Jamaica, travelled to Britian during the Crimean War (1853 - 56) to offer her skills for wounded soldiers.
As a woman of mix race (Jamaican and Scottish), Mary Seacole was used to prejudice, and so she remained undeterred when turned down. She funded her own passage to Crimea, where she established the British Balaclava. Her hotel provided a comfortable retreat for wounded soldiers away from battle to accommodate and treat convalescents and the sick.
Furthermore, Mary Seacole nursed wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and as such, was granted the title, Mother Seacole.
Mother Teresa, 1910 - 97
Mother Theresa spent most of her life in India, and in 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity. The missionary attracted many sisters who took vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and free service to the poorest of the poor.
Their work occurred in over 130 countries and included managing homes for people who were dying, soup kitchens, orphanages, and schools.
Though Mother Theresa has garnered criticism for her opposition to abortion, the effects of her work recognisably changed the lives of many of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Elizabeth Fry, 1780-1845
Elizabeth Fry was known as the 'Angel of Prisons’. She led the campaign during the Victorian period to improve conditions and more humane situations for prisoners. Elizabeth Fry also assisted in improving the British hospital system and treatment of people with mental illness.
Mary Anning, 1799-1847
Mary Anning, though not as educated when compared to her colleagues, became one of Britain’s leading experts on prehistoric life. As a paleontologist, she scoured the Lyme Regis cliffs while extracting large skeletons and sold them to London specialists.
These unique palaeontological specimens aided in transforming previous beliefs surrounding the origins of life.
Wangari Maathai, 1940-2011
Wangari Maarhai was a Kenyan environmental activist responsible for founding the Green Belt Movement. This movement campaigned for environmental conservation, the importance of planting trees, and women's rights.
She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, and as such, Wangari Maathai was elected to parliament whereby she wqs appointed assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources. She served from 2003 – 2005.
Grace Hopper, 1906-92
Grace Hopper was one of the leading players in revolutionising society through the incorporation of electronic computers. She was the first woman to complete a PhD in mathematics from Yale University, 1934.
Grace Hopper aided the US Navy, and while working on the earliest computers, she created the commercial programming language, COBOL. With this,not enabled a military innovation to transform the business.
Frida Kahlo, 1907-54
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist, and her powerful, distinctive works explored gender, class and identity through the use of symbols derived from the nation’s cultural history.
Frida Kahlo is an important figure for social causes including feminism and LGBTQIA + rights.
Theodora, c497-548, Empress of Byzantium
Theodora, Empress of Byzantium, exercises immense influence as the emperor's wife.
She is remembered as one of the first rulers to recognise the rights of women, changing divorce laws to provide greater benefits to women, and prohibiting the traffic of young girls.
Hypatia, c355-415
Hypatia was an Alexandrian mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. She was enshrined as a martyr of philosophy during the Enlightenment following her murder murder.
She was one of the first female mathematicians, and the first of whom we have reasonably detailed knowledge about her life and work.
Sacagawea, 1788-1812
Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone woman, captured aged 12 by the Hidatsa people. As such, she learned to speak both Shoshone and Hidatsa.
During European settler's invading the land, Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery led them to interact with Sacagawea's people. She became a translator and vital member of Lewis and Clark's expedition, forging relationships with Native Americans, while carrying her newborn baby on her back.
How much choice she was given in the matter is unknown, but she travelled thousands of miles in 1804-06, crossing from the Mandan-Hidatsa villages in the Dakotas to the Pacific Northwest. During this time, she allayed suspicions garbed from the tribes they encountered through her role as interpreter.
Nellie Bly, 1864-1922
As a journalist, Nellie Bly broke societal norms by writing hard-hitting and impactful stories about the poor and oppressed, rather than domestic matters such as gardening and fashion.
She reported on official corruption in Mexico in 1886 and 1887. Nellie Bly set a new world record for travelling the world in chaperones, completing the challenge in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds.
Lise Meitner, 1878-1968
Lise Meitner was disadvantaged both by her gender and her Jewish heritage; however, she was not discouraged. After fleeing Sweden in 1938, she assisted a research collaborator after their experiments incurred unexpected results, and she had resolved the issue within a couple of days.
Isabella Bird, 1831-1904
Intrepid 19th-century explorer, Isabella Bird, defied Victorian conventions on what was deemed proper for a lady. She explored America, Hawaii, Tibet, Malaysia, Japan, India, China, and Iran amongst many other countries by sea and horseback.
Isabella Bird climbed a volcanoes and mountains, her travels wrought with danger. Through her books and photographs of the places she had visited, she became one of the first female fellows of the Royal Geographical Society.
Aphra Behn, 1640-89
Aphra Behn was one of the first women in England to earn a living from the profession. Her work proved widely influential on literature and for future generations of female writers.
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1593-1652/53
Artemisia Gentileschi was a renowned Italian painter in a time when women were not commonly welcomed as patrons or artists. Her works depicted strong, suffering women, which some believe to represent Artemisia Gentileschi's own personal and professional struggles.
Zora Neale Hurston, 1891-1960
Zora Neale Hurston was an African American author and anthropologist. Her work explored racial and gender struggles witnessed and experienced during the early 20th century.
Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological contributions led to key involvement in a study on North American folklore and ritual activity in the Caribbean.
Katharine Graham, 1917 - 2001
Katherine Graham became the first female publisher of a major American newspapers, the Washington Post, in 1963, following her husband's death.
Gabriela Mistral, 1889 - 1957
Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, known by her pseudonym, Gabriela Minstral, was a Chilean poet and diplomat. Her work explored morality and motherhood, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1945. With this, Gabriela Mistral became the first Latin American author to receive the prize.
Marie Stopes, 1880 - 1958
Marie Stopes was a strong and persistent advocate for birth control, as well as a sex educator. She published the popular book, Married Love in 1918, shortly followed by Wise Parenthood, specifically focusing on contraception.
Marie Stopes was vocal in publicising the first birth control clinic, set up in a poor working-class area of north London in 1921, as well as bringing women the opportunity of planned pregnancies worldwide.
Jane Austen, 1775–1817
Jane Austen was a renowned literary author, and her works explore themes of marriage, status, and social sensibility with a distinctive irony.
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