Women that Changed the World

There is no questioning the fact that women in society are undermined. All throughout history, women haven’t enjoyed the same freedoms as men. For example, until recently, women weren’t allowed to work, did not receive equal pay, and were not granted voting rights. While in many MEDC this is no longer a problem, women in many countries are still denied these basic human rights. International Women’s Day however, celebrates all that women have accomplished economically, politically and socially. Proposed by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, in 1910, and passed at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Women’s Day was first held on March 19th. More than 30,000 women attended street demonstrations across Europe that day. In 1917, working women in Saint Petersburg took to the streets on the last Sunday of February (March 8th in the Gregorian calendar) to strike for “Bread and Peace”, demanding an end to czarism, WWI, and food shortage in Russia. March 8th was deemed an official holiday in the USSR by Lenin and the Bolshevik party after the October (November according to the Gregorian calendar) Revolution. Other communist nations, such as China and Spain, followed in making this an official holiday. In 1977 the United Nations General Assembly made March 8th an internationally recognized day for world peace and women’s rights.

1. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
   The founder of scientific computing. Ada studied mathematics extensively, and at the age of 17 met with Cambridge professor Charles Babbage to work on a calculating machine. This later became known as the analytical engine, which although never fully assembled, still incorporated elements of a modern computer such as coding and programming.

2. Marie Curie (1867-1934)
   The first woman to win a Nobel Prize, earn a doctorate in Europe and teach at a university. Her investigation contributed to the discovery of radioactivity and the elements Polonium and Radium.

3. Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)
   The first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In her attempt to be the first person to circumnavigate the world, Amelia’s plane deteriorated and was never found again; nonetheless, her initiative inspire female pilots all around the world.

4. Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)
   Known as the “Iron Lady”, she is the first woman to be democratically elected Prime Minister in European history. Margaret Thatcher was later reelected three times, and is remembered for her political genius and effective decision making.

5. Aung San Suu Kyi (1945-)
   Attempted to established a democratic government through peaceful means in Burma, she was however placed under house arrest for the next several years. In spite of this, Aung San Suu Kyi was still awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

6. Malala Yousafazi (1997-)
   Began advocating for equal educational rights at the age of eleven in Pakistan, as well as risking Taliban attacks but continued blogging for BBC. After recovering from being shot in the head on her way home from school, she continued promoting education by speaking at the United Nations and confronting Obama on the issue of drone attacks. Most recently, the age of 17, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and is the youngest person to have ever won this.