76 Inspiring Women From History Who Achieved So Much Despite Nobody Believing Them

Many women in history have done extraordinary things, and sometimes it’s hard to imagine how much they actually accomplished. According to History Hit, Agnodice was the first known midwife in the 4th century BC. She courageously practiced gynecology when other women in Greece were banned from doing so. 

According to the tales, she cut off her hair and disguised herself as a man to study under one of the key medical practitioners of her time, since only men could access such areas. Her story was often quoted in the 18th and 19th centuries, at the peak of women’s struggle, to encourage midwives and gynecologists to practice. Although it’s unclear whether Agnodice's story is fact or fiction, her legend has become a symbol of female equality, intelligence, and determination.

Juana Ramírez de Asbaje was born in the 17th century and thirsted for knowledge, but as a girl, she had little access to formal education. When her family sent her to live with relatives in Mexico City, her intelligence drew the attention of the viceroy, Antonio Sebastián de Toledo, who tested her knowledge with the help of 40 scholars. 

As she grew up, she didn’t want to marry, and so she decided to become a nun and moved into a convent. There she amassed an incredibly large private library along with a collection of musical and scientific instruments, and wrote poems, dramas, and books. Her work for women’s rights made her an icon of Mexico, and her former cloister is now a center for higher education, which is also on currency. 

Many influential people took part in the women's freedom movement, and Kate Sheppard was one of them. According to NZ History, her articles, pamphlets, letters, and petitions helped rally campaigners, and she collected 32,000 signatures to push Parliament to grant women’s suffrage.

Her efforts succeeded and pushed New Zealand to become the first self-governing country to grant national voting rights to women in 1893. Because of her contribution to this cause, her face appears on the country’s $10 note and on a commemorative stamp.

Women didn’t get the right to vote at the same time as men, infact ladies needed to fight for this ability even though people in power weren’t willing to listen to them. According to the Pew Research Center, many countries granted women the power to vote after major cultural or governmental shifts.

Around 80% of African countries gave women universal suffrage between 1950 and 1975, a time of rapid European decolonization. In some places, though, the right to vote was stripped from women after it was given, such as Afghanistan, which experienced extreme government shifts and stopped women from participating in elections several times.

Education plays a big role in whether women can speak up for themselves or must keep following society’s rigid rules. Past research shows that only working girls attended religious or charity-run schools, and the knowledge they gained was mainly limited to reading and sewing.

Over time, in the 1800s, women had a few more opportunities to pursue higher education; today, women earn 59% of all bachelor’s degrees compared to men. A glass ceiling still limits progress in work systems and equal pay. That’s why it’s important for women to continue their education and not push it aside at any point in their lives.

Knowledge is so powerful for women because a formal education can stop young girls from marrying young, having children too early, and help them get jobs and higher incomes. UNICEF explains that educating young women can transform communities, strengthen economies, and reduce inequality.

Knowing more about how the world works can help women protect themselves better and live more successful, fulfilling lives. They can also raise their children better and provide more opportunities for the next generation to grow and develop faster.