Why do we only get to celebrate the history of women during one month of the year, you guys? The truth is we don’t. and lucky for you, sites like ours exist in order to share the amazing stories of incredible women all throughout history and from all over the world every day.
But since it is Women’s History Month, hey we’ll jump on the bandwagon, but just to be clear, this ain’t no marketing strategy for us. We’re in the business of women 24/7.
When we think of women in history who made major differences, there are a few stand-out names. Mother Theresa, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart and more. But contrary to what many history books tell us in school and what the media chooses to focus on, there are numerous women who have literally changed entire industries and cities that almost never get any coverage.
We’re not blaming anyone or pointing fingers, just simply recognizing what a shame it is that not everyone’s stories get told. Thankfully, our friends at the Brighton School of Business and Management in the UK decided they too are in the business of women, during this month at least, and put together this list of 10 incredible women that you most likely won’t get to read about in school, unless you really go digging.
The list includes Mary Lou Williams, the first female to start a record label in the United States, Beatrice Potter Webb, co-founder of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female MD in the US.
Women’s History Month is celebrated in countries such as the United States, UK, and Australia. It always coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8th. In 1980, then-US President Jimmy Carter who is a HUGE activist for women’s rights globally, declared the week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week, which eventually turned into the whole month being observed as Women’s History Month.
“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well,” he wrote in a proclamation announcing the week.
“Women’s History is Women’s Right. It is an essential and indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long-range vision…I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality – Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.”
The theme of this year’s 35th anniversary of Women’s History Month is Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives, which is something we believe shouldn’t be a one-month-out-of-the-year kinda deal. Nevertheless, the women listed below exemplify why it is important to share more women’s stories and make it an integral part of our present culture, our history and in turn move toward a society that values both men’s and women’s stories and achievements equally.
Here is the infographic below with the list of 10 women you NEED to know about, created by the Brighton School of Business and Management.
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