Throughout history, women played a key role in changing the world as we know it by breaking boundaries in everything from science and medicine to aviation and technology.
The women behind these breakthroughs and inventions are the real superheroes because they’re out there making a difference in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), politics and business, holding the door open for us all.
These are the women we should be showcasing to girls and young women because they can pack a real punch and with hard work and determination their achievements are attainable to others. There are many real-life female superheroes but the three below top my list.
Sheryl Sandberg
I admire the chief operating officer at Facebook for several reasons. She worked hard to get where she is today, from being top of her class at school, to receiving first prize in her economics studies at university.
She has constantly aimed to inspire other women: she co-founded an organisation called “Women in Economics and Government” while at Harvard and runs LeanIn.org, a nonprofit organisation that helps women achieve their goals. She was also the first woman to sit on the board of Facebook before she joined as COO in 2012.
Claudie Haigneré
This woman has many honourable accolades. She is an astronaut with the Centre National d’Études Spatiales and the European Space Agency, as well as a doctor and politician. Her impressive career went into orbit when she joined the French Space Agency in 1985 to research the effect of space travel on human physiology.
As an astronaut for the European Space Agency she claimed many ‘female firsts’, including the first woman qualified to command a Soyuz capsule during re-entry and the first female cosmonaut in Europe to take part in a flight to the International Space Station.
On Earth, Claudie has also served in several political positions in France, including as Minister for Research and New Technologies. She is now the Director of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie — the largest science museum in Europe.
Madeleine Albright
Albright is famous for stating: “there is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women”. This American politician and diplomat fights fiercely for equality for all. Born in Prague and residing in London throughout World War II, her family claimed political asylum in the US where she studied political science.
She later went on to become the first female Secretary of State in 1993 advocating democracy and human rights abroad. Since her term, she has become a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, served on the Board of Directors for the New York Stock Exchange. She also served was chairwoman for the Council of Women World Leaders’s Women’s Ministerial Initiative.
These women are just three of the many women who dared to be different and who dared to be first – they’re true examples of real life superheroes. They challenge convention and have stepped outside of their expected roles to highlight the great opportunities open to women in the fields of STEM, politics, business and beyond.
Join us at the First Women Summit on 28 February to hear from more incredible women who are shattering glass ceilings in different industries and how they are making it as entrepreneurs. You will hear from Sara Pascoe, Kate Hardcastle, easyJet captain Kate McWilliams and many more.
