10 Women To Be Inspired By On International Women's Day 2025
In honor of women today and everyday, here are some remarkable women who are making a difference in their communities, big and small.
In honor of women today and everyday, here are some remarkable women who are making a difference in their communities, big and small.
From politicians and activists to journalists and athletes, these women are breaking barriers, standing up for what’s right and inspiring us to fight for a better and more equal world.
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.
She only found out in October 2020 after Dominique was arrested for filming a video of a woman's underskirt in a supermarket, which led to a police investigation.
Police took two years to track down all the men, identifying 50 of them.
During the trial, which began on Sep. 2, Gisèle chose to have the trial be public instead of private, receiving widespread praise from activists and the public.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, the court sentenced Dominique to 20 years in prison for “aggravated rape” of his wife.
Gisèle said her thoughts were also with families that have been affected by the case, as well as unrecognized victims, whose “stories often remain in the shadows.”
“I want you to know that we share the same battle,” she said.
She said she had opened the doors to her trial because she wanted to society to join in the discussions.
“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.
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.
In her speech, Maipi-Clarke said that it had not been her plan to become an MP.
“I was perfectly fine growing my kumara [sweet potato] and learning maramataka [Māori calendar],” she said. “But this house kept tampering with things they shouldn’t be touching. And that’s why I left the māra [garden] to come here.”
“In only a couple of weeks, in only 14 days, this government has attacked my whole world from every corner,” she said. “Health, taiao [environment], wai [water], whenua [land], natural resources, Māori wards, reo [language], tamariki [children], and the right of me and you to be in this country under Te Tiriti [the Treaty of Waitangi],” she said, calling out the new right-wing government’s attempts to institute anti-Māori policies.
“How can I not take anything personally when it feels like these policies were made about me?” she said.
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.”
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum made history in 2024 when she was elected Mexico's first woman president.
After US president-elect Donald Trump said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has suggested the US and Mexico territories should instead be called “Mexican America”.
A day after Trump’s comment, Sheinbaum used the first minutes of her morning press conference on Wednesday Jan. 8 to give a short history lesson.
She displayed a map of the world from 1607, 169 years before the US was founded, where the gulf, which curves around the southeastern edge of North America, touching the coastlines of the US, Mexico and Cuba is labeled the Gulf of Mexico and North America is labeled Mexican America.
“Why don’t we call it ‘Mexican America’? It sounds nice, doesn’t it?” she said.
Sheinbaum also added the name “the Gulf of Mexico” is recognized internationally.
Women In Afghanistan
The new laws were issued in Afghanistan on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, by the Taliban's "morality" ministry, and require women to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, in public to prevent "temptation.”
Women are banned from wearing "thin, tight, or short" clothing and must cover themselves fully in front of "non-Muslim" men to avoid "moral corruption."
The Taliban has also made it illegal for women to speak, recite, or sing in public, saying that women’s voices are "intimate" and should not be heard by others.
Women in Afghanistan are now posting videos of them singing as a new form of protest to the latest attack on women’s rights despite the risks of being punished.
"I am not that weak willow that trembles in every wind. I am an Afghan woman; it only makes sense to cry. Reminding myself of the day, I will break free from the cage to escape from this solitude and sing with abandon," another woman can be seen singing in the mirror in another video.
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.
Argentine Actress Thelma Fardin
In 2018, 31-year-old Thelma Fardin said she was raped by her co-star Juan Darthés in 2009 when she was 16 and he was 45.
Fardin said the Brazilian-born actor had lured her back to his hotel room in Nicaragua during the international tour of their TV series, “Patito Feo” or “Ugly Duckling”.
She said he had raped her after he forced her to touch his erection and said “look at what you do to me”, as if it were her fault.
Fardin’s story went viral and sparked a #MeToo movement in Argentina.
In May 2023, a court in Brazil acquitted Darthés over “insufficient evidence” because Brazilian law requires victims of sexual abuse to prove penetration had happen at that time.
Fardin appealed the decision and on Monday June 10, the court overturned the acquittal.
The court found Darthés guilty of statutory rape and sentenced him to six years in prison.
Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
77-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is the current Vice President and a prominent figure in Namibian politics since the country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
Nandi-Ndaitwah won the presidential election on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, with approximately 57% of the votes.
Her win is significant as the SWAPO party’s votes have been decreasing in previous elections due to young voters’ dissatisfaction with the economy and unemployment, which is estimated to be around 46% among young people.
Chinese Marathon Runner Li Meizhen
25-year-old Li Meizhen, who hails from Fujian in China, was competing in a marathon in Hebei province on Sep. 22, when she suddenly got her period during the 34th kilometer.
Videos showed Li continuing to run despite her thigh being covered with large amounts of menstrual blood.
She ultimately finished the 42-kilometer race.
Taking to social media afterwards, Li said she decided to finish the race because she had to meet a criteria to complete two marathon championships this year.
“If I had quit, this would mean I would have to run another marathon, which is why I decided to finish this one,” she wrote. “It doesn’t matter if my result wasn’t good; I just needed to finish it.”
Filipino American Singer Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo, the Filipina American singer-songwriter best known for her hit “Driver’s License,” recently held her first concert in the Philippines and donated all proceeds to a women’s rights and health charity in the country.
For her first and biggest concert in the Philippines, Rodrigo chose to donate all the revenue to Jhpiego, a nonprofit that helps women and families worldwide with reproductive healthcare access, HIV/AIDS and infectious disease prevention, education and more.
Rodrigo described the concert as “the most special show and the most meaningful trip” in a post on Instagram, writing, “To say I’m grateful doesn’t even cut it.”
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.
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