Women all around world have faced adverse discrimination. They were denied equality in terms of work, exposure and quality of life. Despite the hardship women have faced throughout ages, they have excelled in every field. It has become somewhat easier for women to come forward and do well professionally now but it was not the case many years back. Keeping that aside so many have broken the stereotypes and become a great example for all of us. But that wasn’t easy though. In this article, let’s discuss about the women who have brought many changes in the society.
Marie Curie
She was the first women to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win it twice in two different scientific areas. She was born in Warsaw, Poland but later moved to Paris where she met Pierre, her husband with whom she discovered two radioactive elements: radium and polonium (named after Poland). We know radioactivity because of Marie Curie only. Radioactivity is now widely used for radiotherapy (treatment of cancer) and X-ray machines. At the age of 66, on July 4th, 1934, she died because of the exposure to radioactive materials.
Malala Yousafzai
She became the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 14. A resident of Pakistan, who began to write about life under the rule of Taliban, is now an activist for girls’ education and rights. When she wrote about how the Taliban did not want girls to go to school and receive education, her thoughts became viral and she became a target. She was attacked by gunmen but luckily, survived it and since then she has never looked back.
Mother Teresa
Originally from Albania, Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic who lived most her life in India helping the poor and spreading the message of Christianity. She has been even considered as a saint and received the Nobel Peace Prize. Further, she started the Missionaries of Charity, which is spread in over 90 countries in order to help poor, hungry and dying people by providing them food, shelter, and education.
Rosa Parks
She, an African American, led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her seat to a white person. She received the support of many Afro-Americans causing a civil rights movement eventually, demanding equal rights. Apart from this, she worked on eradicating racial segregation from the society. For her work, she received awards such as Martin Luther King Jr. It is well known that because of her, US could elect Barak Obama as their leader.
Wangari Maathai
She was the first African women and the first environment activist to get a Nobel Peace Prize for starting the Green Belt Movement, which focusses on tree plantation and conservation of environment. She worked towards helping women in Kenya for equal rights. She was also the first woman to have a doctorate degree in east and central Africa.
Junko Tabei
In 1975, she climbed the Mount Everest and became the first women in the world who achieved this success. She broke stereotype by embarking her journey towards the highest mountain peak, receiving a permit for an all-women climbing team. She empowered women all over the world and encouraged them to do things they want to despite all the criticism they receive.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadharshini Gandhi was the first female Indian prime minister in 1966. In 1980, she was elected for the second time when her very own bodyguards assassinated her. She was an Indian politician and central figure in Indian national congress party.
Margaret Thatcher
She was the first elected and the longest serving woman prime minister in the UK. She was the changing face of politics. Her career started when she became president of the Conservation Association at Oxford University. Later, she ran for parliament representing Dartford but lost twice. She won a seat at the parliament in Finchley and became MP in 1959. In 1975, she became the leader of Conservative party. For her strong will power and tough decisions, she was named iron woman.
Florence Nightingale
She had led the first team of British military nurses to Turkey during the war fought between Britain and Russia (Crimean War). It was reported that soldiers died more from disease wounds than war wounds. She not only treated the wounded but also discussed ways to reduce fatality. She was named the lady with the lamp because she used to make rounds at night to check on the sick people. After her excellent service during the wartime, she continued to serve as a nurse in the military.
These are just ten examples of some extraordinary women who broke stereotypes and broke rules set for female in the society. There are hundreds of others who have played pivotal roles in changing the status of women in the world. They have helped revolutionize almost every field and paved the way for other women to achieve their goals. Even today, the path is not very easy for women. However, seeing the acceptance of their achievements, importance and the urge to be a changing face is heartwarming.