Women with pivotal roles in history

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and so also half of its potential1. Amongst the milestones in human history, however, men feature much more prominently than women. Men have traditionally excluded women from positions of leadership and influence. Even where women have equal opportunities, deeper inequities still disadvantage them. In rural India, for example, girls are more likely than boys to drop out of school because they have additional responsibility for chores at home. The simple intervention of providing households with bicycles can benefit girls by shortening their journey to and from school2.

Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and a necessary foundation for peaceful, prosperous and sustainable societies1. Despite historical and continuing barriers, countless numbers of women have had pivotal roles in shaping human progress. Many milestones in history owe their existence or their influence to women, often in less visible capacities, for example in driving philanthropy and advocacy, and in leading diplomatic and research teams. Their contributions deserve greater recognition.

The list below names small samples of the women whose actions have influenced the course of history. Most of the listed events had men taking more conspicuous roles, or belonged to teams of people. You can see these dated entries highlighted within a full chronology of milestones, by going to the history timeline and using its ‘Find’ button (top-left) to search for ‘women’.



Some of the women who have contributed to shaping human history (dated by timeline entry)



Patrick Doncaster would welcome suggestions for additions or subtractions (email: cpd@soton.ac.uk)


Timeline of the Human Condition, 1792