WOMEN WHO DEFIED GENDER ROLES
Added on: 25th Nov 2015
SACAGAWEA
Most Americans know bits of the story of Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone
Native American woman who helped Lewis & Clark in their westward
expedition. What’s especially amazing about this woman is her true
importance in American history – without a clever and tactile woman
like Sacagawea in their presence, Lewis and Clark would likely have been
seen as aggressive and attacked. (And when their boats overturned on
the Missouri River, Sacagawea rescued their journals and notes from the
waters, all while pregnant.)
ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful persons in Europe
during the High Middle Ages. Beyond being Queen of England (married
to King Henry II), she was previously Queen of France (married to
Louis VII) and had considerable influence on both countries during her
reigns. Eleanor was even the acting head of state while her son English
King Richard I went on the Third Crusade.
JEANNETTE PICKERING RANKIN
Jeannette Pickering Rankin was elected as the first female member of
Congress even before women across America could vote
(women could already vote in about 40 states). A Representative elected
both in 1916 and 1940, Rankin noticed she was “the only woman who ever
voted to give women the right to vote.”
Now that’s a way to defy gender roles!
GOLDA MEIR
Seen as the grandmother of the Israeli state, Golda Meir was referred
to by then-Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion as “the best man
in the government”. Later becoming Prime Minister, Meir was one of the
major contributors to the Jewish state’s foundation, even raising $50
million from American Jews and negotiating between the Jews and the
British Mandate in Palestine.
MARY SEACOLE
Voted the greatest black Briton in 2004, Mary Seacole cared for sick
British soldiers during the Crimean War. Though the British Army
refused to admit her to the war effort due to being a woman, Seacole
went to the battlefront anyways to help the sick and wounded. The soldiers
she cared for later raised money for her when she lacked funds.
ELSIE INGLIS
A leader in the development of Scottish/British medicine, Elsie Inglis was
both a doctor and philanthropist. She is best known for organizing
all-female, ready-to-go Medical Units during World War I. The French
called up her units after the British told her to “go home and sit still”.
Enraged at the state of healthcare in her country, Inglis became politically
active and was a constant voice for healthcare reform.
SYBIL LUDINGTON
Twice as impressive as Paul Revere but less than half as known,
Sybil Ludington was a Revolutionary War heroine. At only 16 years
of age, Ludington rode twice as far as Revere on a dark and rainy night
to alert the colonists of the British advance. George Washington even
commended her for bravery and valour.
SOR JUANA INES DE LA CRUZ
A prolific scholar and poet, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is considered
one of the earliest writers of Mexican literature. Ordained a nun, de la Cruz
was one of the earliest voices in the Americas calling for a woman’s right
to education. She stood up to high-ranking officials such as the
Archbishop of Mexico and called for more equality between the genders.
ÆTHELFLÆD
Æthelflæd, the lady of the Mercian’s, was a clever military strategist and
tactician who is largely responsible for kicking the Danes out of England.
Taking power after her husband Æthelred died, Æthelflæd led her home
area of Mercia and allied with her brother Edward the Elder
(of whom she was a great ally in all war efforts).
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