History has always treated women unfairly and has conveniently excluded them. While patriarchy still haunts our society, we still have women who have contributed more to this world than one could ever imagine. Time and again, women have rose up to do commendable things despite the oppression they faced throughout history. The world is slowly progressing and it is high time we learn about women leaders who’ve helped us shape the world as it is today.
This list is by no means exclusive but because people need to be aware of the women who have shaped the world the way it is today. Some of them may have left us but their contributions continue to inspire us to this day.
1) Mother Teresa
This Nobel peace prize winner worked against all the odds to help those who couldn’t help themselves through her works of charity. Even after her demise, the good works of Mother Teresa are still being continued as a part of her legacy. Her tireless work for the underprivileged people has saved many and gone on to influence others to help those who desperately require help but cannot avail it.
2) Oprah Winfrey
She started her career as a radio talk show host and then Oprah went on to influence society and its workings with her amazing works of philanthropy and as a media proprietor. Her show, which is one of the top rated talk show ever, shaped the general outlook of the media and introduced to the people the power of this visual medium. She revolutionized the whole dynamics of television media almost single-handedly.
3) Marie Stopes
While the concept of birth control was more or less negligible during her time, Stopes did some significant amount of work in the fields of sex education and birth control. She also openly talked about issues which were then considered taboos in our society. This also helped in the slow disintegration of the barriers that had not only stifled women for ages but also had led to severe medical consequences for them.
You may also be interested in: How Women Can be Assertive without Being Disrespectful
4) Lisa Randall
She is the very first woman who happened to tenured in the physics department of MIT, Princeton, Harvard. She is one of the most influential theoretical Physicists who have been paving the way for future generations and in inspiring countless others. If you have heard about the large hadron collider, then you would be amazed to know that Randall’s scientific theories are what ultimately led to its creation.
5) Anna Freud
Despite a terrible childhood where she faced severe mental trauma and emotional health issues and had to run away from Vienna and the Nazis, Freud went on to become one of the most celebrated psychoanalysts. Anna Freud was behind the establishment of a nursery that took care of children affected during the Second World War.
6) Amelia Earhart
Often called the Queen of the Air, Miss Earhart was the first ever woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. In her worn out leather jacket that she was often found sleeping in, Amelia Earhart remains an inspiration to many repressed souls who believe they have the power to touch the skies.
7) Marie Curie
Popularly known as Madam Curie, was a physicist and chemist. She had a significant amount of influence in the fields of science for which she had also bagged two Nobel prizes. She was the very first female professor in the University of Paris. Also, she was the first women who got enshrined at France’s national mausoleum.
History will tell us the stories of how great men did greater things through the ages. In the fields of science, medicine, arts and others, the names that are often spoken are of the same great men. But what history also seems to have forgotten are the names of so many women who took the world by storm because by their very existence. Many of them are remembered and revered still while some names have gone on to fade. But, in this astounding century where man is all set to take over the outer space, perhaps it is high time some of these names are remembered again. Especially since it was a women, who with her programming skills, had made space travel possible in the first place. What these women leaders teach us is that women can be successful as men without being assertive and disrespectful of their colleagues.