5 Women Who Made a Difference

The idea for a Women’s History Month was born March 8, 1975 when the United Nations first recognized International Women’s Day. President Jimmy Carter acknowledged it in February 1980 understanding that women were essential to the founding of our nation, and throughout history contributed extensively to the growth of mankind. 

It is still unfortunate that men performing the same job as their female counterparts make 23 cents more for every dollar earned than women. How fair is that? And one in three women will face gender violence sometime during their lives. But despite this, strong women have impacted their communities, their nations, and the world inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. The following five women are but a few examples of the plethora of ladies that helped change the world. 

Jane Austin (1775-1817) was a prolific writer, but published her books anonymously. She lived in an age where upper class women were not expected to pursue a profession. To avoid criticism, she remained incognito. Austin never got credit for her books that included Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, until after her death. The English ten-pound note reminds us of the enormous impact her work still has today.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, Marie Curie (1867-1934) moved to France where she met her husband, Pierre Curie. The two scientists made ground-breaking discoveries about radioactivity. Through their work they discovered two new elements—polonium and radium. From their discoveries, other scientists developed radiotherapy to fight cancer or kill malignant cells. In 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1911, Marie won the prestigious prize solo in Chemistry. She was the first woman to win this award. 

Golda Meir (1898-1978) was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She moved with her family to the United States in 1905 in response to the Kiev pogrom that killed over 100 Jews. In 1921, Golda and her husband, Morris Meyerson, immigrated to Palestine and joined a kibbutz. During World War II, Golda became a powerful speaker for the Zionist Movement. Though the British government controlling the territory restricted Jewish immigration, Meir pushed for increased immigration in response to Nazi persecution of the Jews of Europe. She also worked tirelessly on fundraising events in the United States for an independent Israeli state. When she was 68, Golda helped merge two dissident political parties into the Israeli Labor Party. 

In 1969 Golda Meir became Israel’s first (and only) female prime minister. She led her nation through the Yom Kippur War. To give you an idea of how she thought, when Israel was experiencing an epidemic of violent rapes, a cabinet member suggested a curfew for women. Meir shot back, “Men are committing the rapes. Let them be under curfew!”

Called by the United States Congress “the first lady of civil rights,” Rosa Park’s (1913-2005) fame began on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama when bus driver James F. Blake ordered her to vacate a row of four seats in the “colored” section in favor of white passengers. Parks refused the order and was arrested for violating Alabama’s segregation laws. Her actions inspired the Montgomery black community to boycott the city bus system for more than a year. The federal Montgomery bus lawsuit, Browder v Gayle, resulted in the 1956 decision that bus segregation is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution.

Though she was honored for her bravery, the Alabama seamstress was fired for her actions and received death threats. When she did die in 2005, Rosa Parks was the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. 

The first woman of color and Asian-American female elected to the United States House of Representatives was Patsy Takemoto Mink (1937-2002). In 1959, when Hawaii became a state, Mink campaigned to be elected a congresswoman. Though unsuccessful, she returned to politics three years later when she won a seat in the Hawaii State Senate. She finally won the coveted US. House of Representative seat in 1964. 

Congresswoman Mink was the key author of Title IX, a law that said, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal finance assistance.”

Today, thanks to Patsy Mink, Title IX lives on and is used as a tool against discrimination and sexual harassment in the classroom and in school athletics. 

For centuries, women have played a vital role in the development of World History, but behind closed doors. As humanity matured, women like Marie Curie and Golda Meir are coming to the forefront with their important contributions to the growth of mankind.