11 Inspiring Women You Should Know About In 2024
These are just some of the women who defined 2024.
From Gisèle Pelicot — who bravely opened the doors to the mass rape trial that shocked the world — to Afghan taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi making history as the first refugee athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics, this year was filled with women who dared, inspired and changed the world.
These are just some of the women who defined 2024.
1. French Woman Gisèle Pélicot
71-year-old Gisèle Pélicot was drugged by her husband and raped at least 92 times by 72 men between 2011 and 2020 without her knowledge.
Dominique, her husband of 50 years, would allegedly mix sleeping and anti-anxiety pills into her food or drinks and then invite different men to their home to rape her when she became unconscious.
Gisèle chose to have the trial be public instead of private, receiving widespread praise from activists and the public.
“I want you to know that we share the same battle,” she said.
“I never regretted this decision. I trust, now, in our capacity to collectively seize a future in which each one of us, woman and man, may live in harmony with mutual respect and understanding. I thank you,” she said.
2. New Zealand Māori Politician Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke became New Zealand's youngest member of parliament in 170 years.
As part of her first speech to parliament on Dec. 20, Maipi-Clarke, who represents the Hauraki-Waikato Māori seat performed the haka, a traditional Indigenous war dance, and spoke about the rights of New Zealand’s Indigenous communities.
She dedicated her speech to the children of New Zealand, saying that no matter what comes out of the government, she will ensure that they hear them.
“I am at your service in and outside of parliament,” she said. “I will die for you in these chambers. But I will live for you outside these four walls.”
3. Palestinian Women Journalists Of Gaza
Palestinian women journalists are bravely risking their lives to document Israel's war on Gaza.
From nine-year-old girls to young mothers, they have continued to report despite the constant challenges of searching for food, shelter and safety not just for themselves, but their families and loved ones, in the dire conditions caused by Israel’s relentless bombardment and blockade.
And yet they persist, in the face of loss and heartbreak, to show the world, through their empathetic interviews and reporting, not just despair, but hope.
Their dedication to sharing the stories of Palestinians with the world and their love for the people and the land has pierced the hearts of millions of people around the world.
4. Algerian And Taiwanese Boxers Imane Khelif & Lin Yu-ting
People, including "Harry Potter" author J.K Rowling, who is outspoken about being anti-trans, accused Algerian boxer Imane Khelif of being a man competing in women’s boxing.
Another woman boxer from Taiwan, Lin Yu-ting, is also facing intense harassment about her gender, as the International Boxing Association disqualified both her and Khelif for failing gender eligibility tests in 2023.
The IOC has come out in support of Khelif and Lin, saying that the Boxing Association's decision was "sudden, arbitrary and taken without any proper procedure."
The IOC’s president also condemned the “hate speech” directed at the two athletes, saying “there was never any doubt" about them being women.
5. The Swiss Grannies
Almost nine years ago in 2016, a group of Swiss women aged 64 and older formed an organization to fight for their fundamental right to life and health in the face of the climate crisis.
In 2020, the group of more than 2,000 women sued the Swiss government at Europe’s highest human rights court for failing to act on reducing carbon emissions.
On Tuesday, April 9, the court ruled in favor of the women, finding the Swiss government had failed to comply with its duties to fight climate change and cut emissions.
This is the first time a human rights court has ruled that protecting people against the effects of climate change is a basic human right.
Speaking after the verdict, the women said that they were not doing this for themselves but for the sake of their children and their children’s children.
6. Women In Iran
An Iranian woman student stripped down to her underwear at a university in Iran on Saturday, Nov. 2, to protest against the “morality” police harassing her for not wearing the hijab “properly”.
A university official wrote on X after the video was shared on social media that the student was arrested and “under investigation.”
Rights group Amnesty International has called for the student’s immediate and unconditional release, emphasizing that Iranian authorities must protect her from torture and ensure access to legal representation and family.
7. Australian Ex-Political Advisor Brittany Higgins
In 2021, Brittany Higgins said a male colleague raped her in a minister’s office in Australia’s parliament in 2019.
Bruce Lehrmann, a 28-year-old former political staffer, was later charged but the trial was dropped due to misconduct from a juror.
On Monday, April 15, the court in the defamation case found that Lehrmann was “hellbent on having sex” with Higgins, who was drunk at the time, and did not care if she had consented or not.
The woman journalist who covered Higgins’ story said she hopes that the “judgment gives strength to women around the country.”
8. Afghan Athletes Manizha Talash & Zakia Khudadadi
Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, has made history, winning the first-ever medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the 25-year-old Afghan athlete, who was born with an arm disability, won a bronze medal in the women’s 47kg taekwondo category, defeating Turkey’s Ekinci Nurcihan.
“I went through so much to get here. This medal is for all the women of Afghanistan and all the refugees of the world. I hope that one day there will be peace in my country,” Khudadadi said.
Another athlete Manizah Talash, the refugee breakdancer who was disqualified from the Olympics after wearing a cape that read “Free Afghan Women” has released a powerful statement about her actions.
In a statement shared on her Instagram on Aug. 14, Talash said she did what she did because “The world has forgotten about Afghan women”.
“Breaking is a form of expression, and so I felt that this is what I had to do, even if it meant being disqualified,” she wrote.
9. Irish Woman Nikita Hand
A 35-year-old Irish woman named said McGregor raped her in a hotel in Dublin on Dec. 9, 2018 after a Christmas party where Hand and a friend were picked up by McGregor, who shared cocaine with them during the ride to the hotel, according to AP.
The trial ended in November 2024, and the jury concluded that McGregor was liable for assault and awarded Hand approximately US$257,000 in damages, affirming the sexual assault.
"I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be: Speak up, you have a voice," she said.
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