Throughout the years, women went through hardships and have struggled to make the world a better place to live. There are women in every part of the world who are making a change in the society and their efforts are indeed inspiring and touching. They are the role models for the women all over the world and without them, the world is but the chaos and unfair treatments. As International Women’s Day is swiftly approaching, we’re sharing our list of the most influential women around the world who have inspired many to fight for justice and women’s right.
1. Veronica Guerin
Veronica Guerin was an Irish crime reporter who was assassinated by drug lords as to prevent her from exposing his crimes. Her death caused an outrage as she was a national icon who got her admiration of the country. Eventually, the Irish parliament enacted the Crime Act 1996 and formed Criminal Assets Bureau within a week of her murder. The drug crime in Ireland has since dropped drastically and forced a change in Irish law.
2. Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale is famously known for her role in nursing profession as she dedicated her life to nurse the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Her dedication in work has gained her the title ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ as she has the habit of making rounds at night. Her insistence on improving the conditions for patients has saved many lives and she is now one of the greatest inspiration in the world.
3. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a well-known talk show host who has a great influence on the women as she was the first woman to own her own talk show. Her talk show usually focuses on issues faced by American women and she is passionate and generous in offering help to those who are in needs. Although she was born to a poor single mother, she went through extreme hardship and has now become one of the world’s most inspirational women.
4. Dato Ruby Khong
Dato Ruby Khong hailed by Malaysians for her selfless love and bold bravery to stand above all odds in generous giving. She is the president of Kechara Soup Kitchen serving the homeless and less fortunate. Recently she won herself the Bella Heart Award as well as the Bella Award (the highest award) on NTV7 Bella Awards for being the woman who made an impact on the society. She was also the one of the Malaysians that make it into the list of Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy.
5. Emmeline Pankhurt
The daughter of an anti-slave campaigner, Emmeline Pankhurt is a pro-feminist who fought for women’s rights in the late 19th and early 20th century. She continued the fight with her three daughters after her husband who was a socialist lawyer died. She brought out the feminist movement as she formed the Women’s Social and Politic Union for suffragettes.
6. Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa used to be a charity worker and nun in India before she became joined ‘ The Missionary of Charity’ to help the poor people in Calcutta in 1950. For 45 years she was looking after the poor, sick and dying and worked tirelessly until ill health. Her humanitarian work was documented into a book ‘Something Beautiful for God’ by Malcolm Muggeridge and she won the honourable Nobel Prize in 1979 along with India’s highest civilan honor. Her missionary continued to expand with more than 600 missions operated in 123 countries including soup kitchens, orphanages, school, counselling programs and hospices for people diagnosed with HIV & AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy.
7. Helen Keller
Despite being both blind and deaf, Helen Keller overcome the frustration and started the campaign to help people who are blind or have other disabilities to develop independence. She introduced the braille system and helped to raise public awareness about the issues faced by disabled. She delivered lectures for the blind and deaf-blind and became the world famous speaker and author. Keller also spoke out for women’s right and a member of suffragettes.
8. Marie Curie
Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields for her advanced science in chemistry and physics. She became a notable woman figure in the scientific community as she discovered two elements and coined the term “radioactivity”. Besides that, she also helped develop the first X-ray machine in the world.
9. Alice Guy
Alice Guy is the world’s first female director in the motion picture industry and an important figure in the history of film making. Her works inspired women to get involved in film making and her works include something no one else was doing such as special effects, synchronized sound and so on. She also received numerous awards for her films and her reputation continues to grow as the films continue to come to light.
10. Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is Burmese politician who fought for freedom and democracy for her country in non violent way. During her fight, she suffered from hardship . Her moral power has changed the world especially Burma peacefully and many has look up to her as an influential figure. Her efforts in leading the Burma to democracy has earned her the Nobel Peace Prize while still under house arrest for most of the past two decades.
