Women Who Made an Impact in 2015

The world is changing and so are our women. From fighting for women’s rights to vote to pledging for parity, we have come a long way in terms of women’s freedom and empowerment. Over the years, we have witnessed women standing up for their rights; year 2015 was no exception to this rule. This Women’s Day let us admire and appreciate the women who made a difference and did their bit to make this world a better home for women.

Malala Yousufazai

An assassination attempt from Taliban did not deter this 17-year-old girl from fighting for the cause of girl’s education and children’s rights. Her exceptional efforts made her the youngest recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. As she completes her high school education in the UK, her fight for the cause continues.

Hillary Clinton

In run for the upcoming Presidential elections in the USA, Hillary Clinton has been an advocate for women empowerment. In 1995 at UN’s women conference in Beijing, she proclaimed that “Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights” paving new ways for uplifting the position of women in society. After taking over as the Secretary of State, she made efforts and succeeded to make women’s rights an integral part of UN’s foreign policy.

Ashley Judd

The Hollywood actress has always fought for women’s rights and equality be it Hollywood or anywhere else. This year, she stood against the misogynistic trolls on the internet and shunned all forms of women abuse that was prevalent on the Internet and took the online world by storm.

Amal Clooney

Apart from topping the list of fashion A-listers and marrying Hollywood actor George Clooney, Amal Clooney is an internationally acclaimed Human Rights lawyer. Her lists of clients include Wikilieaks’ fame Julian Assange, and detained Al Jazeera journalist, Mohamed Fahmy among several others.

Leslee Udwin

Leslee Udwin is the director of documentary “India’s Daughter’ which featured the horrific real life story of a gang rape case in India. This documentary called for a global outrage and was banned. However, it brought this dark side of the society to the fore and fueled the debate on how women have always been the victim of sexual violence and put a big question mark on their safety not only in India but across the globe.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

A supporter of women’s rights, an atheist, an activist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somalian refugee who worked her way up from cleaning factories to become a Member of Parliament. She has condemned Islamic extremism and has voiced her opinion through her book named as Heretic: Why Islam Needs A Reformation Now. 

Ellen Pao

Filing a lawsuit against venture capital firm Kliener Perkins Caulfield and Byer for gender discrimination, Ellen Pao, an American lawyer put a big question on the work culture of Silicon Valley. Though the judgment of this suit was not in favor but it certainly did put a spotlight on the prevailing sexism and gender bias in the Silicon Valley tech industry.

These gutsy women broke all the boundaries and became an unbeaten power in their respective fields. Are there any other names that come in your mind when you think about impactful and powerful women? We would love to know your views.