Women are constantly working their butts off to have their contributions to the world recognized and respected. We are also continuously working to fight for our body autonomy and general safety. Luckily, plenty of women everywhere are using social media, organizations, and other small and big efforts to make sure the world understands our rights matter just as much as men's rights.
In the face of closed doors and misogyny spewed at us left and right, women aren't taking any of the oppression laying down. We have a history of fighting for our rights and winning, yet there is still so much to continue fighting for.
Here are 10 inspiring women who have fought for women's equality in many different ways.
1. Kamala Harris
Harris co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act that will call for employers to prove they don't assign pay based on gender.
2. Lisa Bloom
This high-powered lawyer has made it her life's work to champion the rights of women who are victims of sexual assault. Recently, she helped both Mischa Barton and Blac Chyna fight against revenge porn, and won both cases.
3. Maxine Waters
Maxine Waters is a Congresswoman representing the 43rd district of California. She also takes the time to encourage women, particularly black women, to fight against angry black woman stereotypes and to take pride in their strength.
One of her virally spread empowering quotes was said on MSNBC's “All In with Chris Hayes.”
She said,
Let me just say this: I'm a strong black woman and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O'Reilly or anybody.
She added,
And I'd like to say to women out there everywhere, don't allow these right-wing talking heads, these dishonorable people to intimidate you or scare you. Be who you are, do what you do, and let us get on with discussing the real issues of this country.
Waters continues to be a shining example of how to assert your value as a woman in the workplace as she works to hold our nation's leaders accountable and keep the American people in the loop about our country.
4. Serena Williams
The tennis star has worked to help raise money to stop financial domestic violence with AllState's Purple Purse Project. She also partnered with SurveyMonkey to take down statistics that recognize how the wage gap disparities have the greatest impact on African-American women.
5. Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama has been feminism goals for eight years and counting. She's been a shining example of what it looks like for a woman to have a powerful career, family, and to uplift other women. She publicly supported the #BringBackOurGirls campaign which was started to raise awareness about the 276 girls kidnapped from a school in Chibok, Nigeria in 2014.
Obama also founded the "Let Girls Learn" campaign that promoted education for girls in developing countries.
6. Beyoncé
Beyoncé has seemingly been pro-women's rights for her entire career. Consider the empowering hit records with Destiny's Child entitled, "Independent Women," "Survivor," and her solo record, "Me, Myself, & I." Since her Beyoncé album released in 2013, Beyoncé seems to have taken further steps in her journey as a feminist. The album's visuals, along with the Lemonade film, seemed to empower women to embrace themselves as mothers, wives, sexual beings, and more.
In 2017, Beyoncé also announced a Formation scholarship fund that would be awarded to four women from different universities, including two historically black colleges.
7. J.K. Rowling
Rowling writes a triumphant clap back on Twitter just as well as she does the characters in her Harry Potter novels. Her character, Hermione, has been one of the most popular and well-rounded female characters in fantasy fiction.
Rowling is also a model intersectional feminist, as she defended the casting of a black Hermione in a Harry Potter play and routinely speaks out against both racism and sexism.
8. Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is the first female director of color to direct a movie with a $100 million budget, which is A Wrinkle In Time, scheduled for a 2018 release. The director -- who has done projects like Selma, 13th, and Queen Sugar — has advocated for there to be more female directors given opportunities, raised awareness of the unequal wage gap, and sat on panels to discuss sexism in the Hollywood industry.
Her personal success has driven her to celebrate herself, but to also use the milestones to shine a light on the need for more opportunities for other women.
9. Hillary Clinton
The former First Lady and Secretary of State has fought for women's rights for nearly her entire political career and served as an emblem of hope for women dreaming to run for political offices as she campaigned for President of the United States of America. She made it her business to call out Donald Trump for his sexist behavior during her campaign and also continues to speak out against and specifically denounced his "grab them by the p*ssy" statements.
Clinton also brought her feminism concerns to a global level with her public addresses of the gender imbalance in China because of the "high abortion rate of female fetuses," according to The Guardian. She considered women's rights a "signature issue" in foreign policy and made it known that women deserve to be valued in every part of the world.
10. Cecile Richards
Richards is the president of Planned Parenthood. The organization helps women get access to birth control, safe abortions, and maternity care. Richards has stood up for the wage gap that disproportionately affects black women and is also known for routinely calling out racism and sexism on social media.
