Every day, children are inundated with the antics of actors, singers and reality television stars. While those people might be entertaining, their characters and actions are not always the type you’d like your children to emulate. Thankfully, there are some incredible young women out there who are changing the world right now, and they make great role models.
These 15 female role models are making advancements in sports, science and literature:
- Malala Yousafzai
Born in 1997, Yousafzai received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest recipient to date. Since the age of 11, she has been an advocate for girls’ rights to education in her native Pakistan. Because of her work, she was attacked by Taliban gunmen. Since her recovery, she has continued her work and become a spokesperson for female education all over the world.
- Jennifer Lawrence
She won the Best Actress Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook“ and starred in “The Hunger Games” series. Her essay on equal pay for women in Lena Dunham’s feminist newsletter, Lenny Letter, not only drew attention to women’s salaries, but to issues surrounding women in the workplace. She has also been an outspoken critic of the ultra-thin ideal for women’s bodies presented by Hollywood.
- Eleanor Catton
In 2013, Catton won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for her novel “The Luminaries.” She was 28, which made her the youngest person to ever receive the award. She has established the Horoeka/Lancewood Reading Grant, which supports emerging authors in her native New Zealand.
- Maryam Mirzakhani
A native of Iran, Dr. Mirzakhani is the first female winner of the Fields Medal, considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics. She earned her doctorate at Harvard University and is now a professor of mathematics at Stanford University.
- Tawakkol Karman
A journalist and politician from Yemen, Karman was one of the main influencers in her country’s Arab Spring. She won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her work concerning women’s rights. She was the first Yemini, the first Arab woman and, at the time, the youngest person to do so. She is as senior member of the Al-Islah political party in Yemen.
- Juliette Brindak
In 2005, when she was 16, Brindak created a social networking site for tweens called “Miss O and Friends.” The entrepreneur has now built the site into one of the largest girls-only websites in the world, with more than 10 million page views monthly.
- Venus and Serena Williams
The two tennis phenoms have been breaking down racial and gender barriers throughout their long careers. The sisters hold a number of titles, both as doubles partners and individual athletes. Each woman holds four Olympic gold medals.
- Lauren Bush
Bush decided to found FEED Projects in 2007 after witnessing hunger firsthand as an honorary spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP). The proceeds from each of the FEED bags provides nutrition education and food programs to children around the world.
- Emma Watson
One of the most well-known female role models on this list, Watson, an actress, is also a passionate supporter for gender equality. She serves as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and is a driving force behind the UN Women campaign HeForShe.
- Chrissie Wellington
She’s won the IRONMAN World Championship four times. She is also an advocate for gender equality in prize money and media coverage.
- Gaia Vince
Vince is a freelance environmental journalist. Her book, “Adventures in the Anthropocene,” made her the first woman to win the Royal Society Winton Prize. She continues to discover how people are changing the world’s climate, and how they are dealing with those changes.
- Debbie Sterling
Irritated by the lack of science and math toys targeted toward girls, Sterling created GoldieBlox to fill the gap. Sterling, who is an engineer by trade, gets girls excited about STEM subjects through Goldie character books and construction sets.
- Miranda July
Although women make up half of film school graduates, only 5 percent of Hollywood’s directors are female. Filmmakers like July are working to change that. Her film “Me and You and Everyone We Know” won the Caméra d’Or for best first feature film at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
- Becky Hammon
After playing for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty WNBA teams, Hammon retired from play to become the NBA’s first full-time female assistant manager. In 2015, she became the first female head coach for a summer league and guided the San Antonio Spurs to the title.
Are there any female role models you or your kids admire? Tell us about her in the comments.
Looking for more on role models? Check out Why Working Moms Should Celebrate Themselves as Role Models.
Natalie Vereen-Davis, a freelance writer and travel blogger, hopes that she’s a good role model for her daughter!
