International Women’s Day: Jacinda Ardern To Nirmala Sitharaman, Women Achievers At The Forefront

International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8 to recognise the achievements of women around the world and raise awareness of gender equality issues. This year, the theme for International Women's Day is "Choose to Challenge", which encourages individuals to challenge gender bias and inequality wherever they see it.

From Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, to Nirmala Sitharaman, India's Finance Minister, women have been at the forefront of breaking down barriers and challenging gender norms. Let's take a look at some of these accomplished women and their inspiring stories.

Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern became the youngest female head of government in the world and the first woman to give birth while in office. In 2017, when Ardern was 37, she became the Prime Minister of New Zealand. She has been widely praised for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been one of the most successful in the world.

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Ardern has also been an outspoken advocate for women's rights, gender equality, and mental health. From extending paid parental leave, and increasing the minimum wage, to introducing a "well-being budget", she has implemented policies that prioritise funding for mental health services and child poverty reduction. Even as she stepped down as the prime minister in January 2023, Ardern advocated the importance of mental well-being and said she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do the job. “It’s time,” she added.

Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman is the first woman to serve as India's Finance Minister. She previously served as the country's Defence Minister, making her the first woman to hold the position. Sitharaman has been instrumental in driving India's economic growth and implementing policies to promote financial inclusion and gender equality.

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Under her leadership, India has implemented a number of initiatives to promote gender equality, including providing free sanitary pads to schoolgirls and setting up a women's entrepreneur network to provide financial support to women entrepreneurs.

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who gained international recognition for her work on climate change. At the age of 15, she began protesting outside the Swedish parliament, calling for stronger action to combat climate change. Her activism inspired a global movement of young people, who began protesting in cities around the world as part of the Fridays for Future movement. Thunberg has been a vocal critic of world leaders for their inaction on climate change and has called for urgent action to prevent a global climate catastrophe.

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Mary Barra

In the world of business, women have also been making waves. Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, became the first female CEO of a major global automaker in 2014. Under her leadership, General Motors has focused on innovation and sustainability, including the development of electric and autonomous vehicles. Barra has also been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

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Apart from these world-famous personalities, there are women who are breaking stereotypes and being the firsts in many fields. This includes DCP Shweta Chauhan who is Central Delhi’s first woman DCP at the age of 45, Seema Devi who became the first woman e-rikshaw driver in Jammu and Kashmir, Puja Prajapati who became the first lady Driver in Gorakhpur, and Captain Zoya Agarwal, a senior Air India pilot, who became the first Indian woman to fly above the North Pole and accomplished this feat after travelling a record-breaking 16,000 kilometres, among several such others.