How Far We Haven’t Come
After attending a recent event commemorating past voices of the women’s health movement, I turned on the news to watch the recent contraception hearings, and realized just how far we haven’t come. As has been pointed out by many over the course of the past few days, there were no women on the first panel of [...]
When Women Are in the Driver’s Seat
In our modern age of SUV soccer moms and female NASCAR drivers, we sometimes forget that the ability to drive was—and still is—an essential step toward mobility, individuality, and freedom for women around the world. Signing up for driver’s ed was relatively easy. I went with a couple of friends to a nearby high school [...]
Minoan Women of Ancient Crete
The Minoan Women of Ancient Crete created a society in which women had many of the same jobs as men, and holding some of the most powerful occupations. Minoan society was Matrilineal, meaning that the ancestors where traced through the mother’s family, rather the father’s. Minoan myths, such as the myth of the evil King [...]
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was the only female pharoah in all of Egypt’s history. When her father died, leaving her very young half brother to inheret the throne, Hatshepsut ruled alongside him for several years, before eventually seizing power for herself. During her rise to power, Hatshepsut proclaimed she was the divine wife of the god Amun, and [...]
Christine De Pizan
Christine De Pizan was by far the most respected female writer of the 15th century. She set an example, both with her books and lifestyle, that women could be self-sufficient. Christine wrote over twenty published pieces, including The City of Ladies which describes a utopia for women, where women run all aspects of the society.This [...]
Olympe De Gouges
Olympe De Gouges was the author of “The Rights of Women,” a document distributed during the French revolution. Olympe became involved in the French revolution when it was first beginning, and advocated strongly for the freeing of slaves, writing an anti-slavery play, Zamore and Mirza. She wrote about gender issue such as divorce and the [...]
Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for President in the United States. She was nominated by the Equal Rights Party in 1872. Before running for President, Victoria and her sister made a fortune in the New York Stock Exchange, as the first female Wall Street brokers. She founded a newspaper called Woodhull & [...]
Jeanette Rankin
Jeanette Rankin was the first female United States senator. Elected in 1918, Jeanette made it to the Senate two years before women in the United States got the right to vote! She continued to advocate for women in the Senate as she pushed forward legislation to fund health clinics and midwife services which reduced infant [...]
Golda Meir
Golda Meir was the first female prime minister of Israel, elected in 1969. She played a large part in the creation of Israel, and was ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1948. A member of Israel’s labor party, Golda took the position as prime minister after the death of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. She resigned [...]
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of a Muslim state. She served as prime minister of Pakistan twice, and was first sworn into office in 1998, when she was only thirty-five. She was removed from office almost two years later on charges of corruption. Her popularity with the people caused [...]
