Category: Iconic Women

Championing gender equality and combating sexual violence, Oluwaseun Osowobi is a force for change. Founder of STER Initiative, she empowers survivors in Nigeria, recognized on Time 100 Next.

Ilwad Elman, Somali activist, advocates for peace, gender equality, and youth empowerment, notably working with Elman Peace & Human Rights Center.

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi human rights activist who was kidnapped from her hometown Kocho held by the Islamic State for three months and sold into sex slavery in August 2014.

The Girl Math TikTok trend sparks conversations about women’s ability to budget and women’s potential as mathematicians—a discussion incomplete without French Mathematician, Philosopher and Physicist Sophie Germain.

In the 1990s, Japan’s economic bubble burst, forcing the country’s real estate and stock markets to fall, prompting the Bank of Japan to decrease interest rates to boost the economy.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s activism extended far beyond her husband’s imprisonment. “The Mother of the Nation” became a fearless advocate for change, speaking out against apartheid’s violence and discrimination.

Pioneering sci-fi writer Octavia Butler broke barriers as the first Black woman published in the genre, winning top awards for her work.

At civil rights gatherings, like Selma and the Montgomery marches, Simone gave speeches and performed. In contrast to Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent strategy, she backed black nationalism and urged violent revolution.