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loadingTop 50 Women That Changed Our World and the History of the International Women's Day
Dinis GuardaAuthor
International Women's Day, women in history, influential women, gender equality, women's rights, feminism, female leaders, trailblazing women, historical women, women empowerment, women who changed the world, famous women, inspiring women, women's movement, women’s achievements
Sat Mar 08 2025
Explore the rich history of International Women's Day, from its early beginnings to its role in shaping the global fight for gender equality. Discover the stories of 50 extraordinary women who have broken barriers, led movements, and made lasting contributions to society, inspiring generations to come.
“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.”
Virginia Woolf (1882–1941),
The Roots: How International Women's Day Began
Looking at the roots of women definition we look at the glyph (?) that was a symbol for the planet and Roman goddess Venus, or Aphrodite in Greek. This is the symbol used to represent the female sex. In ancient alchemy, the Venus symbol stood for copper and was associated with femininity. When we look at the word woman we see an adult female human. On a crisp New York morning in February 1909, thousands of women marched through the city streets, their voices unified in demands for better working conditions, higher wages, and the right to vote. This was the first National Woman's Day in the United States, organized by the Socialist Party of America. Little did these women know that their demonstration would spark a global movement that continues to resonate over a century later.
The following year, at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin—a German revolutionary and advocate for women's rights—proposed the establishment of an International Working Women's Day. Her vision was simple yet revolutionary: a day when women worldwide could unite, raising their collective voice for equality, justice, and peace. The proposal received unanimous approval from the 100 women representing 17 countries at the conference.
On March 19, 1911, the first official International Women's Day was celebrated across Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. More than one million people participated in rallies advocating for women's rights to work, vote, and end discrimination. The date was later standardized to March 8 in 1913, a day that has since become a powerful symbol of women's struggles and triumphs.
From Protest to Celebration: The Evolution of International Women's Day
The early celebrations of International Women's Day were deeply intertwined with labor movements and political activism. In Russia, women marked the day in 1917 by staging a massive strike for "Bread and Peace"—protesting against food shortages, the country's involvement in World War I, and the monarchy. This strike became one of the catalysts for the Russian Revolution, demonstrating the profound impact women's collective action could have on the course of history.
Throughout the 20th century, the observance of International Women's Day reflected the changing landscape of women's rights movements globally. During periods of feminist awakening, such as the 1960s and 1970s, the day served as a rallying point for demands including reproductive rights, equal pay, and an end to violence against women.
The United Nations officially recognized International Women's Day in 1975, during International Women's Year, further cementing its significance on the global stage. Since then, each year has brought a new theme addressing contemporary challenges facing women worldwide—from ending gender-based violence to achieving equal representation in politics and business.
Today, International Women's Day is celebrated in nearly every country around the world. In some places, it's an official holiday; in others, it's marked by protests, conferences, concerts, and exhibitions. It has evolved from its radical roots into a multifaceted observance that both celebrates women's achievements and calls attention to persistent inequalities.
A Day of Contradictions: The Complexities of International Women's Day
International Women's Day embodies a fundamental contradiction: it is simultaneously a day of celebration and protest, of acknowledging progress while confronting ongoing challenges. This duality reflects the complex reality of women's experiences worldwide—where victories in some arenas coexist with continued struggles in others.
In countries where significant strides have been made toward gender equality, the day often focuses on celebrating women's achievements and contributions. Corporate events, media features, and social media campaigns highlight successful women and their impact on society. However, critics argue this commercialization and focus on individual success stories can dilute the day's political significance and divert attention from systemic barriers that remain.
Meanwhile, in regions where women's rights are severely restricted, International Women's Day takes on a more urgent, revolutionary character. Women risk arrest and violence to march for basic freedoms—to attend school, to work, to travel without a male guardian's permission, or to be protected from domestic violence. Their courage reminds us of the day's radical origins and the uneven landscape of women's rights globally.
This tension between celebration and protest, between recognizing individual achievements and addressing collective challenges, is perhaps what makes International Women's Day so powerful. It refuses simple narratives of either triumphant progress or unrelenting oppression, instead embracing the messy, complicated reality of an ongoing struggle that differs dramatically across geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic lines.
International Women's Day in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Voices
As we move further into the 21st century, International Women's Day continues to evolve, embracing intersectional feminism and incorporating an increasingly diverse range of voices and concerns. Today's observances recognize that women's experiences vary tremendously based on factors including race, class, sexual orientation, disability, and geographical location.
Digital technology has transformed how International Women's Day is observed and organized. Social media campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, and #EachForEqual have amplified women's voices and created global solidarity networks that transcend national boundaries. Virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of women's movements worldwide.
Climate justice has emerged as a central theme in contemporary International Women's Day observances, recognizing that environmental crises disproportionately affect women, particularly those in the Global South. Young climate activists like Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate have highlighted the interconnections between gender equality and environmental sustainability.
The rise of authoritarian governments and conservative movements in various parts of the world has created new threats to women's rights, from restrictions on reproductive freedom to rollbacks of protection against gender-based violence. In response, International Women's Day has become a crucial platform for defending hard-won rights and resisting regression.
Despite these challenges, there is much to celebrate. Women are serving as heads of state and government in increasing numbers. Girls' education rates are rising globally. More women are entering previously male-dominated fields like science, technology, and finance. Each International Women's Day offers an opportunity to assess this complex landscape of progress and setbacks, to celebrate achievements while recommitting to the work that remains.
Wisdom Through the Ages: 50 Women Who Changed Our World
Throughout history, remarkable women have defied conventions, shattered barriers, and transformed our world through their courage, intellect, and determination. Their stories serve as beacons of inspiration, reminding us of women's immense capacity to effect change even in the face of tremendous obstacles. Here are fifty such women, presented in chronological order, whose influence continues to resonate across time:
- Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE): Last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. "I will not be triumphed over."
- Hypatia of Alexandria (ca. 370-415 CE): Mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."
- Boudica (d. 60/61 CE): Celtic queen who led an uprising against Roman forces. "I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom."
- Joan of Arc (1412-1431): French heroine and Roman Catholic saint. "I am not afraid; I was born to do this."
- Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603): Tudor monarch who led England to a golden age. "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."
- Catherine the Great (1729-1796): Enlightened ruler of Russia. "I praise loudly, I blame softly."
- Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797): Author of "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves."
- Jane Austen (1775-1817): Author who transformed the novel. "I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures."
- Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Abolitionist and women's rights activist. "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again."
- Mary Seacole (1805-1881): Jamaican nurse who served during the Crimean War. "I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me."
- Ada Lovelace (1815-1852): First computer programmer. "That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show."
- Florence Nightingale (1820-1910): Founder of modern nursing. "I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse."
- Clara Barton (1821-1912): Founder of the American Red Cross. "I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it."
- Harriet Tubman (1822-1913): Abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad. "Every great dream begins with a dreamer."
- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928): Leader of the British suffragette movement. "We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers."
- Marie Stopes (1880-1958): Pioneer of birth control. "Every child a wanted child."
- Virginia Woolf (1882-1941): Modernist author. "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
- Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962): Humanitarian and diplomat. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
- Marie Curie (1867-1934): Physicist, chemist, and double Nobel Prize winner. "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood."
- Helen Keller (1880-1968): Deaf-blind author and disability rights advocate. "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
- Margaret Mead (1901-1978): Cultural anthropologist. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Grace Hopper (1906-1992): Computer scientist and Navy rear admiral. "The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.'"
- Frida Kahlo (1907-1954): Revolutionary artist. "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"
- Rachel Carson (1907-1964): Marine biologist and author whose work launched the environmental movement. "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction."
- Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986): Existentialist philosopher and feminist theorist. "One is not born, but rather becomes a woman."
- Rosa Parks (1913-2005): Civil rights activist. "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear."
- Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000): Actress and inventor whose work led to WiFi. "All creative people want to do the unexpected."
- Indira Gandhi (1917-1984): First female Prime Minister of India. "My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition."
- Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958): Chemist whose work was crucial to understanding DNA. "Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."
- Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005): First Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
- Maya Angelou (1928-2014): Poet and civil rights activist. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Anne Frank (1929-1945): Holocaust victim whose diary inspired millions. "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
- Toni Morrison (1931-2019): Nobel Prize-winning author. "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
- Sylvia Plath (1932-1963): Poet and novelist. "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020): Supreme Court Justice and gender equality advocate. "Women belong in all places where decisions are being made."
- Jane Goodall (1934-): Primatologist and anthropologist. "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
- Valentina Tereshkova (1937-): First woman in space. "Once you've been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is."
- Ada Yonath (1939-): Nobel Prize-winning crystallographer. "Curiosity is what distinguishes us from the apes. It's human nature to be curious."
- Wangari Maathai (1940-2011): Environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness."
- Billie Jean King (1943-): Tennis champion and gender equality advocate. "Champions keep playing until they get it right."
- Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007): First woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority nation. "Democracy is the best revenge."
- Oprah Winfrey (1954-): Media executive and philanthropist. "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness."
- Angela Merkel (1954-): First female Chancellor of Germany. "Freedom is the very essence of our economy and society. Without freedom the human mind is prevented from unleashing its creative force."
- Madonna (1958-): Record-breaking musician and cultural icon. "I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997): Humanitarian. "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."
- Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003): First woman of Indian origin in space. "The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it."
- J.K. Rowling (1965-): Author of the Harry Potter series. "Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
- Serena Williams (1981-): Tennis champion with 23 Grand Slam singles titles. "The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up."
- Malala Yousafzai (1997-): Education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world."
- Greta Thunberg (2003-): Climate activist. "I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is."
Women Pioneers in Technology and AI
Before we look to the future, let us acknowledge ten remarkable women who have shaped the landscape of technology and artificial intelligence, pioneering advancements that continue to transform our digital world:
- Fei-Fei Li (1976-): AI researcher, co-director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute. "AI is made by humans, intended to behave by humans, and, ultimately, to impact human lives and human society."
- Karen Spärck Jones (1935-2007): Pioneer of information retrieval and natural language processing. "Computing is too important to be left to men."
- Margaret Hamilton (1936-): Computer scientist who led the team that created the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo missions. "Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world. There was no choice but to be pioneers."
- Joy Buolamwini (1989-): Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, researching bias in AI. "Who codes matters, how we code matters, why we code matters."
- Marian Croak (1955-): Invented Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), holds over 200 patents. "If you really want to create a successful team, you need to create a very welcoming, diverse environment."
- Katherine Johnson (1918-2020): NASA mathematician whose calculations were critical to U.S. crewed spaceflights. "Like what you do, and then you will do your best."
- Timnit Gebru: AI ethics researcher and co-founder of Black in AI. "AI is not inevitable. It's something that we create. And we can actually tackle some of these problems if we want to."
- Annie Easley (1933-2011): Computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist at NASA. "If you want it and if you are capable of doing it, just don't give up. Aim for the stars."
- Shafi Goldwasser (1958-): Cryptography pioneer and Turing Award winner. "Cryptography is about communication in the presence of adversaries."
- Radia Perlman (1951-): Invented the spanning-tree protocol (STP) and is known as the "Mother of the Internet." "The world would be a better place if more engineers, like me, hated technology. The stuff I design, if I'm successful, nobody will ever notice."
Women, Technology, and AI: Shaping the Third Evolutionary Force
As we stand on the precipice of a new technological revolution—one where artificial intelligence promises to reshape human existence as profoundly as agriculture and industrialization did before it—the question of gender balance becomes not just a matter of equality but of existential importance.
Throughout history, technologies have often reflected and reinforced the biases of their creators. From medicinal research that excluded female test subjects to voice recognition software that struggled to understand women's voices, we have seen time and again how technologies designed primarily by men can fail to account for the needs, experiences, and biological realities of women. In a world increasingly mediated by algorithms and artificial intelligence, these blind spots have the potential to calcify into our digital infrastructure, creating systems that perpetuate historical inequities in new and potentially more intractable ways.
The solution lies not in slowing technological progress but in ensuring that women are equal participants in its creation and governance. When women engineers design healthcare algorithms, they're more likely to account for sex-specific symptoms of heart attacks. When women data scientists build facial recognition systems, they're more likely to ensure these systems work equally well across gender and racial lines. When women ethicists shape AI governance frameworks, they bring perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked.
The statistics are sobering: women remain significantly underrepresented in AI research and development. This imbalance threatens to create a future where technology exacerbates rather than ameliorates gender disparities. Yet there is cause for optimism. Organizations worldwide are working to close the gender gap in technology through education initiatives, mentorship programs, and workplace reforms. Young women are entering STEM fields in increasing numbers, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches.
As we commemorate International Women's Day, we must recognize that achieving gender balance in technology is not merely about fairness to individual women—though that alone would justify the effort. It is about ensuring that the powerful tools we are creating serve humanity in its entirety, not just those who have traditionally held power. It is about building AI systems that recognize the full spectrum of human experience, that are trained on diverse data sets, and that are developed with an awareness of how technology intersects with gender, race, class, and other aspects of identity.
The women whose stories we've explored today—from early computer programmers like Ada Lovelace to modern pioneers like Grace Hopper—remind us that women have always been essential to technological advancement, even when their contributions were minimized or erased. As we shape the third evolutionary force of human existence, we have an unprecedented opportunity to create technologies that embody the wisdom, creativity, and diverse perspectives of all humanity.
On this International Women's Day, I celebrate women and let us commit not only to highlight women's achievements and continuing the empowerment for gender equality in all spheres of life but also to ensuring that the artificial intelligence systems that will increasingly shape our world reflect the rich tapestry of human experience—regardless of gender. For in this balance lies our best hope for a future where technology serves as a force for liberation rather than limitation, for connection rather than division, for the flourishing of all rather than the privilege of few.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Marie Curie (1867–1934)
Sources and References
Books and Academic Works
- Kaplan, T. (1985). On the Socialist Origins of International Women's Day. Feminist Studies, 11(1), 163-171.
- Sangster, J. (2015). The Socialist Origins of International Women's Day. The Bullet, Socialist Project.
- Chatterjee, I. (2017). Beyond the Factory: Struggling with Class and Class Struggle in the Post-industrial Context. Capital & Class, 41(2), 263-281.
- Bonfiglioli, C. (2016). The First UN World Conference on Women (1975) as a Cold War Encounter: Recovering Anti-imperialist, Non-aligned and Socialist Genealogies. Filozofija i društvo, 27(3), 521-541.
- Fraser, N. (2013). Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis. Verso Books.
- Buckley, M. (1989). Women and Ideology in the Soviet Union. University of Michigan Press.
- Stites, R. (1991). The Women's Liberation Movement in Russia: Feminism, Nihilism, and Bolshevism, 1860-1930. Princeton University Press.
- Freedman, E. (2002). No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women. Ballantine Books.
- Walters, M. (2005). Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
- Rowbotham, S. (2014). Women, Resistance and Revolution: A History of Women and Revolution in the Modern World. Verso Books.
Articles and Digital Resources
- UN Women. (2024). International Women's Day History. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day/history
- International Women's Day Official Website. (2024). About International Women's Day. https://www.internationalwomensday.com/About
- Ruthchild, R. G. (2012). From West to East: International Women's Day, the First Decade. Aspasia, 6(1), 1-24.
- Kandiyoti, D. (1988). Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender & Society, 2(3), 274-290.
- Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), Article 8.
- Disch, L., & Hawkesworth, M. (Eds.). (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theory. Oxford University Press.
- UNESCO. (2022). Women in Science. http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/women-science
- World Economic Forum. (2024). Global Gender Gap Report. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/
- Gates, M. F. (2019). The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. Flatiron Books.
- Criado Perez, C. (2019). Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Abrams Press.
Women in Technology and AI
- Hicks, M. (2017). Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing. MIT Press.
- Abbate, J. (2012). Recoding Gender: Women's Changing Participation in Computing. MIT Press.
- Light, J. S. (1999). When Computers Were Women. Technology and Culture, 40(3), 455-483.
- Ensmenger, N. (2010). The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers, Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise. MIT Press.
- Misa, T. J. (Ed.). (2010). Gender Codes: Why Women Are Leaving Computing. Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Press.
- Chang, E. (2018). Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley. Portfolio.
- Buolamwini, J. (2018). Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification. Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, 81, 1-15.
- D'Ignazio, C., & Klein, L. F. (2020). Data Feminism. MIT Press.
- West, S. M., Whittaker, M., & Crawford, K. (2019). Discriminating Systems: Gender, Race and Power in AI. AI Now Institute.
- Benjamin, R. (2019). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Polity Press.
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Dinis Guarda
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Dinis Guarda is an author, entrepreneur, founder CEO of ztudium, Businessabc, citiesabc.com and Wisdomia.ai. Dinis is an AI leader, researcher and creator who has been building proprietary solutions based on technologies like digital twins, 3D, spatial computing, AR/VR/MR. Dinis is also an author of multiple books, including "4IR AI Blockchain Fintech IoT Reinventing a Nation" and others. Dinis has been collaborating with the likes of UN / UNITAR, UNESCO, European Space Agency, IBM, Siemens, Mastercard, and governments like USAID, and Malaysia Government to mention a few. He has been a guest lecturer at business schools such as Copenhagen Business School. Dinis is ranked as one of the most influential people and thought leaders in Thinkers360 / Rise Global’s The Artificial Intelligence Power 100, Top 10 Thought leaders in AI, smart cities, metaverse, blockchain, fintech.
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