8 Bad-Ass Historical Women Who Defied Gender Norms
Uncovering the hidden stories of women who broke the rules and changed history
Countless women throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries defied gender expectations and challenged societal norms. From pioneering work in science and art to acts of defiance that redefined roles, these bad-ass ladies blazed trails that deserve recognition. Here, I take a look at seven lesser-known women from the 1800s to the 1940s who pushed boundaries and reshaped the world.
Mary Anning (1799-1847): Fossil Hunter & Pioneer in Paleontology
Mary Anning was born into a working-class family in Lyme Regis, England (fun fact: this area is now called the Jurassic Coast), and grew up collecting fossils along the coastline. She learned the art of fossil collection by following around her father, who was an amateur collector himself.
Despite having little education, she became one of the leading experts on fossils in the 19th century. Anning discovered the first complete Ichthyosaurus skeleton at just TWELVE years old. She also discovered the first Plesiosaurus and the first British pterosaur.
She was also a pioneer in coprolites, or the study of fossilized, well, crap. Like, poop. Hey, whatever floats your boat, Mary.
Anning faced constant challenges due to her gender and social class, with male scientists often taking credit for her discoveries. The Geological Society of London refused to admit her and all women until 1904. #typical
She is now recognized as a founding figure in paleontology, but in her own lifetime, her contributions were largely dismissed by the male-dominated scientific community.
Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927): The First Woman to Run for U.S. President
Victoria Woodhull was a suffragist, advocate for women’s rights, the first female Wall Street stockbroker and the first woman to run for President of the United States. And all that with only three years of consistent schooling under her belt; she had spent most of her impoverished childhood reading fortunes in her family’s traveling show.
Her first husband, 28 to her 15 years of age when they married, was an alcoholic, leading her to support their family. Eventually, she divorced him and became an advocate of free love, both of which were highly controversial in the 1860s.
She and her sister later published a progressive feminist magazine and were also the first women to own a Wall Street brokerage firm, providing financial advice and investment services to women. Not too shabby.
She ran for president against Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 on a platform that included women’s suffrage, labor rights and free love. She helped to establish the Equal Rights Party. However, in addition to being a woman, she was also under 35 years old at the time, so her candidacy was not taken seriously.
In her personal life, she married and divorced a second time, then married a third time. She ultimately got into legal trouble for her views and for publishing content that resulted in obscenity charges and jail time.
Despite public backlash and multiple arrests, Woodhull remained a fierce advocate for change. Her run for the presidency in a time when women couldn’t even vote challenged public perceptions about women’s capabilities and roles in leadership.
She later published a journal with her daughter (cool) promoting eugenics (okay, less cool), which was popular at the time. She lived to 88 years old.
Qiu Jin (1875-1907): Chinese Feminist Revolutionary and Poet
Qiu Jin was a poet, writer and one of the most famous Chinese feminists and revolutionaries of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Xiamen, China, Qiu Jin defied norms by leaving her husband and children behind to study in Japan, where she became inspired by the concepts of gender equality and democracy. She joined “several” anti-Manchu revolutionary groups in this period of her life.
In 1905, she returned to China to advocate for women’s rights and joined revolutionary activities of the republic cause against the Qing Dynasty. When their revolution failed and she saw her friends executed, she declined to escape despite having had the opportunity to do so.
At only 31 years old, she was executed by beheading in 1907 for her role in the anti-Qing uprising, becoming both a martyr and symbol of feminist resistance in China. Her death inspired others to take up the resistance, and the Qing empire was eventually overthrown in 1911.
Qiu Jin wrote powerful essays and poems challenging the oppressive treatment of women in Chinese society, condemning common practices like foot-binding. During her lifetime, she bucked gender norms by refusing to bind her own feet, dressing in men’s clothes and choosing to pursue her education even though it meant leaving her family.
She is now remembered as China’s Joan of Arc, and an all-around badass.
Nella Larsen (1891-1964): Harlem Renaissance Author and Social Critic
Nella Larsen was an author, nurse and librarian associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Born to an immigrant Danish mother and a West Indian father, Larsen’s work explored complex issues of race, identity and class.
She was highly educated for a woman of the time, having attended Fisk University, one of America’s historically Black colleges, and taken classes at the University of Copenhagen. She divorced in the 1930s (again, uncommon at the time) and worked as a nurse until the time of her death.
Her most famous novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), delved into the lives of Black women navigating societal pressures and the color line. She was granted a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930, but stopped publishing after that.
Larsen’s work was controversial, addressing the complexities of racial and gender identity at a time when the topics were taboo. Despite facing critical and financial challenges, she is now celebrated as a key figure in American literature who brought attention to the intersection of race and gender in society.
Sophie Scholl (1921-1943): Anti-Nazi Activist and Leader in the White Rose Movement
Sophie Scholl was a German student and activist who, along with her brother Hans, led the White Rose movement during World War II. The White Rose was an underground non-violent resistance group that distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets calling for an end to Adolf Hitler’s regime.
Sophie was born the daughter of a middle-class mayor in a peaceful town in Germany. When the Nazis first came to power in 1933, she and her siblings enthusiastically believed their propaganda, particularly their focus on nature and communal life.
Her Christian parents did not approve of her involvement in the Nazi youth organization BDM, the Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls). In 1939, her brothers were sent to fight against Hitler’s invasion of Poland, and she began to break from the Nazi movement.
In 1942, having seen Nazi atrocities firsthand, she and her brother Hans began to take action. Despite the obvious danger, Scholl was instrumental in organizing the White Rose movement, writing leaflets that condemned the Nazi Party and urged Germans to resist.
In 1943, when Sophie was just 21 years old, she and her brother were arrested and executed (again by beheading) by the Nazis. She remains a symbol of courage, showing that even under oppressive regimes, people can stand up for justice and humanity. Her life is a powerful example of female resistance in a time when women’s voices were rarely given space.
Jovita Idar (1885-1946): Mexican-American Activist and Journalist
Jovita Idar was a Mexican-American journalist, nurse and activist who dedicated her life to advocating for the civil rights of Mexican-Americans and women. Born in Laredo, Texas to a civil rights advocate and journalist father, she used her writing to highlight racism, inequality and the need for education within the Mexican-American community.
After finishing school, she wrote for her father’s newspaper, and in 1911, her family organized the First Mexican Congress, with the goal of unifying Mexicans across the border to fight injustice. In that same year, she also became the president of La Liga Femenil Mexicana (The League of Mexican Women), a local feminist organization that aimed to provide education to Mexican-American children.
In 1914, Idar published an article criticizing President Woodrow Wilson’s decision to send troops to the southern border and then famously stood up to the Texas Rangers when they tried to shut down the newspaper. Later in life, she became an active Democrat and was very active in the Methodist Church.
Her courage, activism and dedication to her community and to women’s rights made her a significant figure in civil rights history, and another feminist badass who helped change the world we live in today.
Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944): British Spy and WWII Resistance Fighter
Noor Inayat Khan was an Indian-British spy who worked as an agent for Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. Born in Moscow (on New Year’s Day) into an Indian Sufi Muslim family, Khan was raised in Paris, where she later became a member of the French Resistance.
After the 1940 fall of France in WWII, she escaped to England. Later that same year, she joined the WAAF, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and by 1942 she had joined the SOE.
Known by her codename “Madeleine,” she worked as a wireless operator in occupied France, helping transmit intelligence and organize sabotage efforts against the Nazis. In fact, Khan was the first female radio operator in Nazi-occupied France. She spent the summer of 1943 on the move, attempting to avoid capture while still sending messages back to London, which is all pretty badass.
She was eventually captured (then escaped, but was recaptured shortly after) and tortured by the Gestapo, but Khan refused to betray her allies, displaying remarkable courage and loyalty. Like many others on this list, she was eventually executed, this time by shooting, at Dachau concentration camp in 1944.
Her bravery earned her a posthumous George Cross, one of England’s highest civilian honors. Her story is a powerful example of defiance and resilience under horrendously unimaginable conditions.
Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973): First Woman in U.S. Congress
Jeannette Rankin was a trailblazing politician, activist and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States, which is all pretty badass. Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1916, a full four years before American women even won the right to vote nationally, she shattered barriers, representing Montana and advocating for women’s rights and pacifism.
Rankin’s courage was legendary. A lifelong pacifist, she was the only member of Congress to vote against US entry into both World Wars. Her 1917 vote against WWI was already controversial, but her 1941 vote against WWII was even more so, as it came right after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Despite criticism, Rankin never compromised. She famously said, “As a woman, I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else,” which I can totally get behind. And at 87 years old, she led a march to bring an end to the Vietnam War. But her legacy extends beyond anti-war beliefs.
Rankin was also a passionate advocate for women’s rights who paved the way for the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote in 1920. In fact, she was the only woman to vote on that resolution. She also spent much of her life campaigning for social reform and environmental protections.
In a time when women were fighting for basic human rights, Rankin stood out not just for her political achievements but also for her courage to defy gender expectations and stand strong on her convictions.
Unsung Pioneers of Change
From groundbreaking discoveries to courageous fights against tyranny, these women defied the constraints of their eras, challenging expectations and reshaping history. Although each woman came from different backgrounds and lived in different circumstances at different times, they shared a commitment to pushing boundaries and demanding change.
They remind us that history is full of women whose stories go untold; women who shaped science, politics, literature and human rights. Looking back through a feminist lens, we can reclaim their histories and recognize the impact they’ve had on society.
Want to learn about other awesome but hidden historical women? Check out 5 Revolutionary 19th-Century Inventions by Women You Don’t Know.
