5 Empowering Women Pioneers Who Impacted the World
Many empowered women were ahead of their times, who gave us the women empowerment we know now. These women opened the doors for future women to claim their body rights, have a choice, and pursue careers that society deprived them.
Here, we have listed down five empowered women who are pioneers in feminism and their fields, transforming the world for the better:
- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928)
Emmeline Pankhurst is one of the empowered women who is known for her feminist actions and protest that gave us the right to vote. A firm believer in women empowerment in a time it was deprived, she fought with bravery and radicalism to change how society works against women. She and her daughters were jailed multiple times for their protest and hunger strikes to fight for better lives for women. Pankhurst also encouraged women to work and be independent during the Industrial Revolution. Because of her advocacy and active fight for women empowerment, in 1918, Representation of the People Act granted the right to vote to women over the age of 30.
- Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
One of the earliest empowered women, Mark Wollstonecraft was known for her works on feminism. She was one of the pioneers who understood the importance of women empowerment, writing about the gap between the rights of men and women. She saw how women were domestically abused and how the law was blinded to it. In 1972, she wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Until now, it is still a canonical feminism book that remains powerful and relevant.
- Coco Chanel (1883-1971)
More than a fashion icon, Coco Chanel was one of the empowered women who pioneered women empowerment through ideas and clothing. Ahead of her time, she was known for her liberated ways that were not the custom of the society. She liberated women from corsets and popularized clothing and styles that did not restrict women. She gave us the choice to wear the little black dresses, suits for women, cashmere cardigans, slacks, and ballet flats. She was also one of those who pioneered that bob cut, during a time when long hair for women was the norm. Coco Chanel allowed women to embrace a new kind of femininity and women empowerment
- Marie Stopes (1880-1958)
Believing in the importance of sexuality and women's health rights to create more empowered women, Marie Stopes advocated for birth control. A sex educator who studied science at University College, London, Stopes wrote and published books that shifted society’s perception towards contraception. “Married Love” and “Wise Parenthood” are few of her popular books. She was a key figure in allowing women to have a choice and opportunity to plan pregnancies
- Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
One of the empowered women who pioneered the technology that we know now, Ada Lovelace is considered to be the world’s first programmer. Growing up, Lovelace had a fascination for machines, learning them from scientific magazines. In 1824, Lovelace translated an article, by the mathematician Luigi Menabrea, about the Analytical Engine. She ended up elaborating it into over three times of the original length, talking about computer programs. Her notes become the documents that inspired programmers to work the first computers in the 1940s.