Top 10 Most Inspirational Women

Some women break barriers in science, some transform politics, and others shine in the arts or stand firm in movements for justice. Their influence isn't limited to a single field or moment. It shows up in the everyday lives they've changed and in the opportunities that exist now because they refused to accept limits.

This list gives you the chance to recognize the women who, in your eyes, embody strength, vision, or resilience. Your vote doesn't just rank a name. It highlights the qualities you admire most, whether that's innovation, compassion, or fearless determination. As more people join in, you'll see which figures others believe have had the greatest role in motivating and inspiring across generations.

The Top Ten

  1. K.S. Chithra

    Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra, often credited as K. S. Chithra or simply Chithra, is an Indian playback singer from Kerala. She also sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. Chithra has recorded over 25,000 songs in various languages and is a recipient of six National Film Awards.

    Very talented and inspiring woman of this generation.

    She is showing that you can do many things at once.

  2. Mother Teresa

    Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 - 5 September 1997), also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. Although her passport name was Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, she was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Üsküb, now Skopje, capital of North Macedonia. After living... read more

    As the founder of an order that helps tend to children, the poor, and many others across the world, she is probably one of the most inspirational women and people of all time. I mean, I would like to see a man do that.

    She was an angel.

  3. Anne Frank

    Annelies Marie Frank was a German-born Jewish diarist. One of the most discussed victims of the Holocaust, she gained fame posthumously with the publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, in which she documents her life in hiding from 1942 to 1944 during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She was... read more

    Her greatness cannot be questioned. The whole event is so sincere and heartbreaking that no objection to this can be established.

    Unlike some other activists here (even Mother Teresa, whom I respect), there's always another side to their stories, no matter how small. But when it comes to Anne, there is only one truth.

    Her story is so sad and inspiring on levels many people couldn't even come close to. She persevered through tough times by hiding from the Nazis.

    Then she and her family were found and killed by the officers. Her diary was kept.

  4. Diana, Princess of Wales

    Diana, Princess of Wales (born Lady Diana Frances Spencer. July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997), was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. She was the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.... read more

    As a royal, she didn't just sit there and do nothing. She campaigned for people with AIDS.

    Though I wasn't born at the time, many remember her tragic death.

  5. Rosa Parks

    Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist. She became a symbol of resistance to racial segregation after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. The United States Congress referred to her... read more

  6. Malala Yousafzai

    Malala Yousafzai S.St is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. She continues to advocate globally for girls' education through the Malala Fund and other initiatives.

  7. Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran from 1986 to 2011. She is also the founder of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and has been a powerful influence in both media... read more

  8. J.K. Rowling

    Joanne Rowling, CH, OBE, FRSL, FRCPE, who writes under the pen names J.K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, is a British novelist, philanthropist, film and television producer, and screenwriter best known for creating the Harry Potter fantasy series. The series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide... read more

  9. Hillary Clinton

    Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, as a United States Senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to... read more

    I don't have an opinion on her, whether you guys hate her or not, but since she received more votes than all other male and female candidates in the recent election, I felt she needed to be here.

    She is perhaps the most powerful American woman in history.

  10. Margaret Thatcher

    Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and as Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and the first woman... read more

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Estee Lauder

  12. ?

    Kristi Yamaguchi

    13. The Contenders

  13. Marie Curie

    Marie Skłodowska Curie (November 7, 1867 - July 4, 1934) was a Polish born naturalized French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, and won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery... read more

    Marie Curie is awesome.

  14. Ellen DeGeneres

    Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, producer, and LGBT activist. She starred in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 until 2022. DeGeneres has received multiple Emmy Awards and was awarded the Presidential Medal of... read more

  15. Audrey Hepburn

    Audrey Hepburn, born Audrey Kathleen Ruston (May 4, 1929 to January 20, 1993), was a British actress and humanitarian. Widely recognized as a film and fashion icon, she was a prominent figure during Hollywood's Golden Age. The American Film Institute ranked her as the third greatest female screen legend... read more

    I mean, why is Margaret Thatcher on this list and Emmeline Pankhurst isn't?

    Loving the majority of the others, but Audrey gets my vote all day, every day!

  16. Mae Jemison

    Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first African American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.... read more

    First African American woman in space.

  17. Golda Meir

    Golda Meir (née Mabovitch, 3 May 1898-8 December 1978) was the fourth Prime Minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and, as of May 2026, only female head of government. She's widely recognized for her leadership during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

  18. Emmeline Pankhurst

    Emmeline Pankhurst (née Goulden. 15 July 1858-14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organized the British suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote in Great Britain and Ireland in 1918.

    In 1999, Time named her one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century... read more

  19. Beyonce

    Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who began her career as lead singer of Destiny's Child. The group scored multiple Billboard No. 1 hits including "Say My Name," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Survivor," "Independent Women," and "Bootylicious." After their split,... read more

  20. Bilquis Edhi

    Bilquis Bano Edhi HI was a Pakistani nurse and philanthropist who helped save the lives of over 16,000 children. During her career and marriage to humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi, she became one of the most prominent charitable figures in Pakistan. She was widely recognized for her work with the Edhi... read more

  21. Angela Merkel

    Angela Dorothea Merkel (born July 17, 1954) is a German former politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She also led the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018. Raised in East Germany, she worked as a cultural official for the Free German Youth, the youth organization... read more

  22. St. Teresa of Avila

  23. Sophie Scholl

  24. Gal Gadot

    Gal Gadot Varsano (born April 30, 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At the age of 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004.

    Gadot's first international film role came as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), a role she reprised in subsequent installments of the franchise. She's also widely... read more

  25. X Gonzalez

  26. Condoleezza Rice

    Condoleezza "Condi" Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. Rice was also the first African-American woman to hold that position and previously served as National Security Advisor from... read more

  27. Eleanor Roosevelt

    Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 - November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, holding the position during her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms as president from 1933 to 1945. She later served... read more

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