Women who changed the world exist throughout history. The achievements of most women were not acknowledged during their lifetime, but now they are recognized for their contributions to medicine, science, the arts, and other fields. I’ve got a list of 7 extraordinary women who changed the world you should definitely check out.
1. Malala Yousafzai
Born on 12 July 1997 is a Pakistani activist for female education, who became the youngest ever Nobel Prize recipient in any category.[3] She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Yousafzai’s advocacy has since grown into an international movement.
2. Mary Woolstonecraft
The mother of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, Mary Woolstonecraft, in 1792 wrote a very important book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” in which she asserted that women and men should have equal rights. At that time, her statements were seen as shocking, but ultimately Mary Woolstonecraft became regarded as a good feminist writer.
3. Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I is another extraordinary woman who changed the world. She was the first to give her name to an age, and was the first successful woman who ruled in her own right and carried out religious stability after a few decades of terrible turmoil. Elizabeth refused to marry and ruled with her advisers, but there was no doubt who was in charge!
4. Emmeline Pankhurst
Could you imagine that you don’t have the right to vote, because you are woman? Personally I can’t! But for Emmeline Pankhurst, who knows how long women would not have the right to vote. She and her fellow suffragettes were ready to risk their freedom and health when they went on hunger strike in order to seek justice. Nowadays we should thank Emmeline Pankhurst for fighting for rights that we take for granted.
5. Dorothy Hodgkin
I’m sure that the name Dorothy Hodgkin is unknown to you. But she actually deserves her place on the list of extraordinary women who changed the world for her achievements in chemistry. Dorothy Hodgkin was involved in work on insulin and penicillin, two drugs that have saved the lives of millions of people. She was the winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry, and also dedicated a lot of her time to the peace movement.
6. Rosa Parks
Many extraordinary women are modest about what they have done. However when one day in 1955 a black woman denied to give her seat up on a bus to white man, she declared a boycott of the bus system, which lasted for more than a year. Also it led to an end of segregation on buses, and brought Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr into the civil rights movement. This movement would have succeeded, but when that brave woman decided that she had enough of being treated badly, she had made a huge contribution to the cause of equal rights.
7. Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is an extraordinary woman of contemporary times. Her fight for democracy in Burma cost her 15 years imprisonment. She was away from her family, and she saw them rarely. She was finally freed in 2010 and she never gave up. Aung San Suu Kyi would say that a free country was worth more than her own freedom and personal happiness.
8. Marie Stopes
A century ago, most women were unconversant with sexual issues, even if they got married. In 1918, Marie Stopes published “Married Love”, that was a really innovative work. She carried out a very valuable work that concerns family planning that allowed women to control over their reproductive life and fertility.
Extraordinary women have often been dismissed in the history, and their achievements are still overlooked, that’s why, let’s recognize how many extraordinary women there are! Are there other extraordinary women I missed? Share your thoughts, please!