Powerful women who have rocked the planet.

These were ordinary women, with extraordinary legacies. These women did not wake up in the morning and say, “I’m going to change history today for all women into the future.” These women rose to the front lines, and fought the long hard battles, against the tides of what was common, or acceptable in our society.

These women did not sit down, they did not shut up. They did not take no for an answer. These women invented a new possibility, when none were present. Let us not forget why we have the life we get to complain about. When women in other countries look at us, and can only dream what it could be like to have it so good, when they have it so bad.

If you didn’t pay attention in history class, or if you are enjoying your rights as a women and want to know who is responsible for that, or if you just want to get some wind under your sails, read about these powerhouse women who rocked our planet for all of us. (Oh, and by the way, we still have a long way to go for our daughters and grand daughters.) If you have a story of how you make a difference in your community or society, or want to highlight someone else, all entries are accepted).

I want to make a very important point here. We all have what it takes. Right now, in our lives, just look around. What can you take a stand for, what can you make a difference with? I’m going to give you a little idea, how a stand can make a difference in the smallest ways, with the biggest results. My 13 year old daughter was starting to go thru the oh-so-familiar self realization, self esteem journey in her life. From head to toe, she questioned her looks, friends, and how she is ’seen’ by everyone around her. She also wasn’t aware of this behavior. (Some of us never grow out of it)

I started a secret campaign strategy of infusing her mind with comments every single chance I got of how great she was. (Like never before) How beautiful, smart, strong, capable, athletic, friendly, funny, helpful, wonderful she was. And in a few short months (that’s all it takes) she is now the top athlete in her soccer team, and they are now the no#1 team. She knows how she rocked the field. She is funnier and more expressed. Her friendship issues, almost gone, she compliments herself in the mirror, she doesn’t think her clothes make her. She is enthusiastic about keeping up her good grades, she talks to me regularly about everything in life that is important to her. She glows. How is this pr-teen going to grow up into the world? How is she going to make a difference in society? I can’t wait to find out.

So, strap in your belts and get ready to be blown away.

In history:

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman’s life was a monument to courage and determination that continues to stand out in American history. Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman freed herself, and played a major role in freeing the remaining millions. After the Civil War, she joined her family in Auburn, NY, where she founded the Harriet Tubman Home. Find out more here: http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm

Politics:

Nancy Pelosi made history as she took her oath on January 4, 2007, as our nation’s first female speaker of the House. Senator Hillary Clinton has publicly announced her interest in the presidency. Meanwhile, in France, another powerful woman, presidential candidate Segolene Royal, is selling herself as mother protector of the nation. Indubitably, these women are sure to change the dynamics of leadership for future generations of women.

Since the foundation of time, or as far back as records exist, there have been powerful female rulers. Egyptian Queensare believed to have governed from around 3000 BCE, the first being Ku-baba who ruled in the Mesopotamian City-State of Ur in ~2500 BCE. However, it was not until after World War I that the first few women became members of governments. The world’s first female cabinet minister was Nina Bang, Danish Minister of Education 1924-26. Today, there are only two countries that have never had a female member of government; Monaco and Saudi Arabia.

Many people still feel that women have no place in leadership and can’t hold their own against powerful men. Yet in the world today, there are six women Prime Ministers in; Germany, Jamaica, New Zealand, Mozambique, South Korea, and The Netherlands Antilles. Of the monarchies, there are reigning Queens in Denmark, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom- the latter is represented by female Governor Generals in Canada and Saint Lucia, who function as their countries- de-facto Heads of State.

What do Chile, Liberia, and Germany have in common? They have all elected their first female leaders in the past year. Read more here: https://www.usatodayeducate.com/challenge/ptkcsc-padilla.cfm

Top most powerful women today:

Condolezza Rice (2)
She made history as the first African American woman to become secretary of state. She is one of the president’s closest aides, playing a key role in many of his decisions. She also served under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Rice has been called the “Warrior Princess” because of her calm manners and tough nerve.

Melinda Gates (12)
She’s more than the wife of a billionaire. She co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has raised more than $28.8 billion. They use the money to fight for better health care and education for the poor around the world. Gates was influenced to start the foundation after learning that one billion people worldwide live in poverty and millions die every year from preventable diseases.

Susan Arnold (24)
She started as a brand assistant at Proctor & Gamble 25 years ago. Today Arnold is the vice chairman and highest-ranking female official in the history of Procter & Gamble. She has helped P&G turn its global beauty division into a $19 billion plus market, making it the second biggest beauty powerhouse in the world.
Nancy Pelosi (48)
Now that Pelosi is the Speaker of the House, her position on the Forbes List is sure to rise. She made history in November when she became the first female Speaker of the House, putting her close behind the president. Pelosi is known for making her views against the Bush administration loud and clear. She comes from a family of politicians and got her start in 1987 representing San Francisco in the House of Representatives.

Oprah Winfrey (9)
She’s done everything. She was nominated for an Academy Award. She has a hit television show, successful magazine and a cable channel. That brings her total net worth to more than $1 billion. Winfrey is even international. Her show airs in 112 countries. Winfrey started the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which promotes the education and well-being of women and children around the world. Recently she opened a school for underprivileged girls in Africa.

Ruth Ginsburg (32)
She is the only female on the Supreme Court, but she makes her presence. At the age of 76, Ginsburg is a firm supporter of women’s rights and is considered one of the progressive members of the Court. Before joining the Court, Ginsburg played a big role in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. She was nominated to the Court by President Clinton in 1993.

7. Amy Pascal (59)
After working for Sony Pictures for 20 years, Pascal was made co-chairman in September 2006. She has also served as Chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group since December 2003. Pascal is responsible for overseeing all of the studio’s motion picture development. In her past, Pascal has overseen the production of films such as “A League of Their Own” and “Michael.”

Hillary Clinton (18)
As a senator from New York, Clinton is the only first lady ever elected to office. Recently Clinton announced her bid for the 2008 presidential election. In 2004 she sponsored legislation to expand health benefits to members of the National Guard. Clinton introduced the Count Every Vote Act of 2005, which provides verification for every vote cast in electronic voting machines.

9. Anne Sweeney (15)
She is the co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television group. Sweeney oversees some of the most important media properties in the world and is responsible for hits like “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.” Sweeney has also worked for Disney and FX.
10. Katie Couric (54)
She usually tells the news, but last year she made the news when she switched from the “Today” show on NBC to CBS Evening News. Some worried that Couric with her big smile and blond hair wouldn’t be able to handle hard news. Although, Couric earned her stripes as a journalist long ago when she interviewed Hillary Clinton and also John F. Kennedy Jr. before his death.

See the full list here: http://artemis.kent.edu/story100women.htm
11. Amina, Nigerian Queen, 1533-1610
Queen Bakwa, Amina’s mother, died around 1566 and the reign of Zazzua in Nigeria was passed to her younger brother Karama. Although her mother’s reign was known for peace, Amina chose to learn military skills from the warriors. Amina became the leading warrior of teh Zazzua cavalry and her military achievements brought her great wealth and power. When Karama died after a 10-year rule, Amina became queen of Zazzua. Queen Amina headed the northern Nigerian Hausa city-state of Zaria. It is thought that perhaps the Hausa were matrilineal people at that time since having a woman as queen was not all that rare. She began her first military expedition three months after coming to power and continued fighting until her death. During her 34-year reign, she expanded Zazzua to its largest size ever. She is credited with popularizing protective city walls made of mud and ordering the building of a defensive wall around each military camp she established. As time passed, towns grew within these protective walls, many of which are still in existence.
12. Susan B. Anthony, United States activist, 1820-1906
In 1872 Susan Anthony did the then unheard of. She demanded that women be given the same civil and political rights that had been extended to black males under the 14th and 15th amendments. She proceeded to lead a group of women to the Rochester polls to test the rights of women voters. She was arrested two weeks later and while waiting for her trial, she went on highly publicized lecture tours. In 1873, she tried to vote again in city elections. After being tried and convicted of violating the voting laws, Susan refused to pay the fine and succeeded in obtaining the right to vote. For the remainder of her life, she campaigned endlessly for a federal woman suffrage amendment through the National Woman Suffrage Association (1869-90) and the National American Woman Suffrage Association (1890-1906). She also lectured extensively throughout the USA. In 1888, she organized the International Council of Women and in 1904 the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. Although Susan did not live to see the results of her efforts to “win the right to vote for women,” the establishment of the 19th amendment is largely a result of her relentless efforts. “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.” – Susan B. Anthony
13. Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan, 1953 -
Benazir Bhutto was born in 1953 the daughter of former Pakistani premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She was educated at Radcliffe College. She temporarily left Radcliffe for New York City in 1971, when India sent troops into East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Her father, as Pakistan’s foreign minister, travelled to the United Nations to resolve the issue and Benazir assisted her father. On December 2, 1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman elected to govern a Muslim nation, only to be deposed 20 months later by the President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan using the 8th Amendment to dissolve the parliament and allowing for re-elections within 90 days. She was re-elected in 1993 but was let go three years later amid corruption rumors by the President of Pakistan, Farooq Leghari. She was assasinated.
14. Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, 1729-1796
Ambitious and intelligent, betrothed Catherine arrived in Russia from Germany in 1744 to marry 16 year-old Grand Duke Peter, heir to the Russian throne. Peter was a weak and unstable ruler and his unpopularity allowed her to depose him and proclaim herself sole ruler of Russia. She took power as Tsarina or Queen, calling herself Catherine II. Soon after, she may have been behind Peter’s death. During her reign, Catherine the Great expanded Russia’s borders to the Black Sea and into central Europe. She promoted westernization and modernization though within the context of her autocratic control over Russia and increasing the control of landed gentry over serfs. Catherine the Great promoted education and the Enlightenment among the elite. She kept up a correspondence with many figures of the Enlightenment in Europe. Catherine’s goal was to rationalize and reform the administration of the Russian Empire. She undertook a wide range of internal political reforms and led two successful wars against the Ottoman Empire. She supported progressive ideas, such as reforms in education, law and provincial and municipal administration. Catherine was also notorious for her numerous love affairs, which included Gregory Orlov and Gregor Potemkin. Catherine died in 1796 and was succeeded by her son Paul I. “I praise loudly. I blame softly.” – Catherine the Great
15. Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, 1519-1589
Catherine de Medici was a born in Florence, Italy into the influential Medici family. In 1533 she married Henri, Duke of Orleans, who later became the French King in 1547. As queen, she brought many forms of Italian culture to France. Catherine gained political power as regent for her sons (she bore 10 children) after her husband’s death. She was an ambitious woman who was actively involved in the political happenings of the court. In the beginning, Catherine attempted to unite France’s opposing Catholics and Protestants because their violent disputes threatened national unity. However, with the Protestant massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1570, peace was destroyed, and Catherine was blamed for allowing it to happen.
16. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt and the last known Pharaoh, 69-30 B.C.
Cleopatra was only 17 when she became Queen of Egypt. She reigned as Queen and Pharaoh between 51 and 30 BC, and died at the age of 39. Cleopatra was known as a cunning politician and educated woman for her time, who spoke nine languages. She possessed an impressive intellect dealing in international relations and a grasp of philosophy. During her reign, Egypt became closely aligned with the Roman Empire. In her struggles to win the crown and to protect the freedom of her country, she sought the support of Julius Caesar, who married her and she bore him a son. Thereafter, she gained the protection of Rome through an affair with Mark Anthony, and had three children with him. Cleopatra financed Mark Anthony’s failed military campaigns, and both she and Anthony were defeated in a battle against Octavian in 31 B.C. Cleopatra committed suicide shortly thereafter.
17. Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961-1997
Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. She was educated at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk, and West Heath School in Kent. From 1979 until 1981 Diana worked as a kindergarten teacher in London. She married Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne in a world televised wedding at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in 1981. The couple had two sons: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, born in 1982 and Prince Henry Charles Albert David, born in 1984. By the late 1980s arrived their marital problems were widely known and in December 1992 they separated. Diana had, by then, already adopted charity work as her royal duty. She withdrew from public activities for a few months in 1993 to avoid the negative publicity focused on her divorce from Prince Charles. Despite this, Diana continued to volunteer her time to many charities related to homeless and deprived children, drug abuse, and victims of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Diana shocked many people when she shook the hand of an AIDS patient, showing that she was not afraid of those suffering from the illness. She was the vice president of the British Red Cross and had served as a member of the International Red Cross advisory board since 1994. Diana died in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being chased by paparazzi, but her work for various causes and charities and her own personal strength in adversity made her an idol for many. “I adore him. I have never been so happy. I have real love.” (prior to the revelation Prince Charles’ infidelity with Camilla Parker-Bowles) “I think like any marriage, especially when you’ve had divorced parents like myself; you want to try even harder to make it work.” “People think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me.” – Princess Diana
18. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England and of France, 1122-1202
Eleanor was one of the most influential and powerful figures of the 12th century. Married at age 15 to Louis VII of France, she later divorced him to marry Henry II, the future King of England. She bore Henry eight children, two of them future kings of England. At age 19, she knelt in the cathedral of Vézelay before Abbé Bernard of Clairvaux offering him thousands of her vassals for the Second Crusade. It was said that Queen Eleanor appeared at Vézelay dressed like an Amazon galloping on a white horse through the crowds, urging them to join the crusades. The Church was pleased to receive her thousand fighting vassals, however, they were less happy when they learned that Eleanor, along with 300 of her ladies, also planned to go to help “tend the wounded.” This was at a time when women were traditionally thought of as property. Throughout her life she maintained control over her extensive lands in Southern France, and cleverly managed the lives of her children and grandchildren. Eleanor championed the human causes of love, rebalanced the value of women, elaborated the codes of chivalry, certified the establishment of jury law, was the inspiration of thousands of knights. She was the motive for many Troubadour songs, and inspired songs and stories of the times including the rewrite of King Arthur putting Guenivere (Eleanor) and her French knights in the story for the first time. She codified the many rituals of romance. In Eleanor’s domains, women were both legally and in song no longer the object of conquest as the bargaining chips by fathers. Love, especially the love by man for woman became its own quest. Her court judgments ruled love as a primary cause in a relationship – a controversial belief that was ruled heresy and completely expunged upon her death by the Church and State.
19. Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603
Elizabeth I made England one of the richest and most powerful nations in Europe during her lifetime. The child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn – under her strong leadership England became a major European power in politics, commerce, and the arts. Highly educated, brave, and ambitious, she cultivated the loyalty of her people and united her country against enemies. During her 45 year reign, she managed for a time to quiet her Catholic population with acts of tolerance, strengthen the currency, and promote the growth of a capitalist economy. She was pressured many times to marry to form political alliances, which she seemed to consider. However, in the end, she always refused. Her greatest success was the defeat of the invading Spanish Armada in 1588 in the waters off England’s west coast. Elizabeth today is thought of as a woman ‘ahead of her time.’ Queen Elizabeth refused to marry. “I have long since made choice of husband, the kingdom of England… charge me not with the want of children, for as much as everyone of you, and every Englishman besides, are my children.” – Elizabeth I in a speech delivered to Parliament in 1558.
20. Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom. 1926 -
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was born daughter of King George VI, in London. In 1944 she served as a councilor of state while her father was on the Italian war front. She married Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh, in 1947, and a year later gave birth to a son, Charles. In 1950 she gave birth to a daughter, Anne. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne upon the death of her father in 1952. In 1960 Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey. Andrew, her second son, was born in 1960 and a third, Edward, in 1964. Elizabeth’s primary role was as a symbol of unity within the Commonwealth of Nations. Currently, approximately 125 million people live in the countries of which she is Head of State. She is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the UK Armed Forces, and Head of the Commonwealth. She has held these positions since 1952, the year of the death of her father, King George VI. She is the longest serving current Head of State in Europe, Australasia and the Americas. For over five decades, Queen Elisabeth has seen ten different UK Prime Ministers and countless Prime Ministers in the other personal union nations of which she is or was Head of State. Since the 1980s, the public has become much more informed about the lives of the royal family due to in-depth media coverage. Two of Queen Elizabeth’s sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, separated from their wives in 1992, amid a wave of international media coverage. (Charles later married his mistress, Camilla.) These separations were surrounded by very public accusations of infidelity and damaged the reputation of the royal family. Also in 1992, the Queen and Prince Charles agreed to pay income taxes on their personal income, the first time the monarchy has done so.
21. Betty Friedan, Author, Lecturer, a Founder of National Organization for Women (N.O.W.), 1921 – 2006
Born Betty Goldstein, she graduated from Smith College in 1942 and worked for five years before marrying Carl Friedan (who she divorced in 1969) and for a while settled uncomfortably into the life of a housewife, mother, and occasional freelance writer. Discovering in 1957 that several of her college classmates were as dissatisfied with their lives as she was with her own, she began a series of studies that eventually resulted in the landmark work “The Feminine Mystique,“ which exposed the unhappiness middle-class women felt over living less-than-fulfilling lives, which catapulted her to public fame. A founder of NOW, National Women’s Political Caucus, and NARAL, she traveled and lectured all over the world and wrote for such diverse publications as McCall’s, Harper’s, The New York Times, The New Republic, and The New Yorker. In more recent years, she has been a Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of Southern California, New York University, and George Mason University. Her new book, The Fountain of Age, is based on 10 years of research on changing sex roles and the aging process. Currently she is a Scholar at the Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian, and Distinguished Professor of Social Evolution at Mount Vernon College.
22. Geraldine Ferraro, 1935 – Politician and Attorney
Geraldine was born in 1935 in Newburgh, New York. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants and her father died when she was eight years old. Geraldine attended Marymount College in Manhattan on a scholarship; majored in English, taking a B.A. in 1956. While teaching English in public schools in Queens, she attended Fordham University Law School at night. In 1960 she earned a law degree and was admitted to the New York bar in 1961, and practiced law until 1974. In 1974 Ferraro accepted a position as an assistant district attorney in the Investigations Bureau in Queens County, New York. By 1975 she transferred to the Special Victims Bureau, which she helped to create to handle rape and domestic violence cases. In 1978 she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s Ninth Congressional District, running as a Democrat on a platform supporting law and order, the elderly, and neighborhood preservation; she was reelected in 1980 and 1982. In 1980 Ferraro was elected secretary of the Democratic caucus, and she took a seat in the House Steering and Policy Committee. She was appointed chair of the 1984 Democratic platform committee, the first woman to hold the post. Later in 1984, Democratic Party presidential candidate, Walter Mondale, selected Ferraro to be his running mate, making her the first woman on a major party’s national ticket. The presidential bid was unsuccessful because Ronald Reagan beat Mondale for the Presidency.
23. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, 1917-1984
As daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, politics was always a part of Indira Gandhi’s world. After her father’s death, Indira was elected as India’s third prime minister. As the leader of the world’s most populous democracy, Indira became an influential figure for Indian women, as well as for others around the world. Indira continued many of her father’s policies, such as pressing for land reform and the nationalization of banks. However, India endured great economic troubles during this time. Political opponents were jailed and the press censored. In 1977, she lost her election and faced charges of corruption. Expelled from Parliament, and briefly jailed, she reorganized her party and won re-election as Prime Minister in 1980. Sadly, in 1984, she was assassinated in her New Delhi home by 3 of her bodyguards. “If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.” – Indira Gandhi

See full list here: http://www.womansavers.com/women-who-changed-history.asp

 

Eleanor Roosevelt “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Although she had already won international respect and admiration in her role as First Lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt’s work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would become her greatest legacy. She was without doubt, the most influential member of the UN’s Commission on Human Rights. Unlike most other members of the Commission, Mrs. Roosevelt was neither a scholar nor an expert on international law. Her enthusiasm for her work at the United Nations was rooted in her humanitarian convictions and her steady faith in human dignity and worth. Although she often joked that she was out of place among so many academics and jurists, her intellect and compassion were great assets, and proved to be of crucial importance in the composition of a direct and straightforward Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Read more here: http://www.udhr.org/history/Biographies/bioer.htm

Sexual Harrasement in the workplace:

24. Lois Jenson-first women to file a class action law suit for sexual gender discrimination. North Country, the movie was inspired by her.
Jenson Vs. Eveleth Taconite Co.
Gender Discrimination in Employment
Settled in 1998

When Lois Jenson went to the public library in 1984 to find out if there was a word for what she and other women miners experienced on a daily basis (the phrase, she learned, was “sexual harassment”), little did she know that she was embarking on a quest that would take nearly two decades to complete. After the Minnesota Attorney General took Ms. Jenson’s complaint as far as he could, she contacted dozens of lawyers, but only Sprenger + Lang was willing to take on the powerful mining industry in northern Minnesota.

Sprenger + Lang took over the representation in 1988 and then commenced the nation’s first sexual harassment class action in 1989. A landmark decision was handed down in 1991 – following a two week evidentiary hearing, the District Court in Minnesota established the first ever sexual harassment class of women employees. The case remains one of the few class actions to be litigated through class certification, a liability trial and a damages trial. After ten years of some of the most contentious employment litigation on record, the women scored a second landmark victory. The Eighth Circuit reversed the trial court’s award of nominal awards to the women with a seminal opinion that establishes the standard courts should follow in assessing damages in sexual harassment cases, as well as setting boundaries for the conduct of defense lawyers in these cases.

A Doubleday book, entitled “Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and The Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law,” was published in 2002, describing the treatment of these women iron miners and the hard fought legal victories following Sprenger + Lang’s entry into the fray. Lois Jenson’s story inspired the movie “North Country” that premiered in October of 2005.

To find out more & see time line: http://sexualharassmentsupport.org/JensonVsEvelethTimeline.html

 

 

See who is on the List of Powerful Mothers.