Women have been creating amazing, diverse, and progressive career and business paths for themselves for hundreds of years. Much of it has gone unappreciated – until now. So if you’re in need of a blast from the past of female achievements to help encourage you down the right business or career path for you, look no further than these inspiring historical examples.
Helena Rubinstein, Cosmetics Entrepreneur
As a female entrepreneur, Helena Rubinstein (1862 – 1965) took some beating. She founded an eponymous cosmetics company in an age when women didn’t found companies at all, and managed to become one of the world’s richest women due to its overwhelming success.
Modern Day Inspiration: If you have a business dream, then don’t let anything – convention, self-doubt, or anything similar – hold you back. Success is there if you’re willing to work for it.
Mary Seacole, Nursing & Medical Assistance
Much is said of Florence Nightingale and her influence she had on nursing, but Mary Seacole is well deserving of a mention in the history books.
Mary Seacole was a Jamaican national who, when declined a place with Florence Nightingale’s mission, went to assist soldiers in the Crimean War anyway. She founded the British Hotel in the Crimea from her own funds, and provided medical assistance, nursing, and comfort to wounded soldiers.
Modern Day Inspiration: As well as being a prime example of how tenacity can be a huge advantage, Seacole remains an inspiration to anyone who has ever wanted to examine a career in nursing and medical assistance. If you’re interested in following in her footsteps, you can find out about the requirements here and see if this offers a future for you.
Catherine Parr, Writer & Philosopher
It takes a brave woman to marry a man who has beheaded two of his wives, but Catherine Parr did exactly that in 1543, when she married Henry VIII of England.
Catherine Parr was the author of the book The Lamentation Of A Sinner, which was published after Henry’s death in 1547. It was the first ever book written by a woman, and published under her own name.
Modern Day Inspiration: Religion was a hot topic in Henry VIII’s England, but it didn’t deter Catherine from writing about the subject. If you have a gift with words, then learn from Catherine to be unafraid of standing up for what you believe in and writing what you want to write.
Margaret Hamilton, Science & Coding
Margaret Hamilton worked for MIT, and coded much of the software required for the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. She even coined the term “software engineering”. Given that technology was – and still is – such a male-dominated sphere, Hamilton’s achievements are all the more impressive.
Modern Day Inspiration: While the STEM subjects might be off-putting to women due to their male-dominated reputation, there is no doubt that women have been involved in these fields since their inception. Let your brilliance do the talking and you too can make a splash as a tech-savvy career woman.
Marie Curie, Scientist
Marie Curie was another groundbreaking woman in the science fields, pioneering our understanding of nuclear physics. She is credited with the discovery of uranium and polonium, which are used in the treatment of cancers.
Modern Day Inspiration: There’s nothing wrong with being an outlier. Careers in physics and engineering are more than attainable for the modern woman, so if you’re passionate about something – as Curie was – then don’t let anything hold you back.