A list of women who were pioneers
in one way or another is below; I let them speak for themselves. In the meantime consider how women had to
struggle to overcome the “handicap” of being a woman in order to get her
education, get into her area of interest and finally get the recognition for
what she had achieved. Even such
outspoken women as Golda Meir or Indira Ghandi are overshadowed by their male
counterparts and compatriots. One
frequently has to dig deep to find achievers in various fields, not because
they weren’t outstanding but because they were not recognized as such.
One truly remarkable woman was
Marie Curie; she was recognized twice by perhaps the most prestigious award
given to a human being, the Nobel Prize, one in Chemistry and one in
Physics. She was the first of 48 women
out of 882 individuals to receive a Nobel and the first (male or female) to
receive it twice.
There have been remarkable women
in all walks of life but very few are well known, or even known. Not that these women are seeking out
recognition. I admire their commitment
to their passions, whether it be in learning all that they can about apes,
medicine, photography, nursing, mythology, education and so much more. I chose to put Rebecca West on the list below
because I think she was a diverse writer, feminist and activist in a time when I
was quite rare to have such a combination of interests. Another amazing woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, had
such diverse interests and the incredible dynamism to get things done. I close with her really wonderful quote.
·
Florence Nightingale
·
Clara Barton
·
Elizabeth Blackwell
·
Marie Curie
·
Edith Hamilton
·
Jane Goodale
·
Mary Leaky
·
Golda Meir
·
Indira Ghandi
·
Eleanor Roosevelt
·
Maria Montessori
·
Anne Frank
·
Rebecca West
·
Christina Broom
"A woman is like a tea bag—you never know how strong she is until
she gets in hot water." —Eleanor Roosevelt
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