TIME Magazine Names 12 “Women of the Year” Just in Time for International Women’s Day
Disclaimer: When you buy from links on our site, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Learn more
TIME magazine has released its annual list of “women of the year” today, alongside interviews with each one about their achievements over the past 12 months.
The 12 women cover various parts of the globe with multiple ethnicities and races represented.
With International Womens Day tomorrow, there is perhaps no better time to celebrate these 12 women.
Angela Bassett
The Black Panther actress is finally getting the recognition she deserves for a wonderful career and has been nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
“Women are called upon to be wives, sisters, friends, mothers, community leaders, activists, and we have it in our core to be these things. But it’s important to give to yourself first, and then you have more to share with the world.”
Popular Reading: He Didn’t Ask His Kids to Come to His Wedding After They RSVP’d No, and Now They Are Furious With Him!
Anielle Franco
Anielle may well be Brazil’s Racial Equality Minister but a career in politics wasn’t on her mind until her sister, Marielle, was assassinated back in 2018. Marielle was a passionate activist against police violence, racism, and corruption and Anielle is now keeping her legacy alive.
“I lost my fear when they killed my sister. Now I fight for something much bigger than myself.”
Ayisha Siddiqa
Ayisha is a 24-year-old Paksitani Human rights and climate defender. At the annual U.N Climate Conference in Egypt last November, she read out a poem she had written about how global leaders had failed to act on climate change.
“I was raised with the idea that the earth is a living being, that she gives life to you and in return, you have a responsibility”
Cate Blanchett
Like Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett has a nomination for an Academy Award this year after her performance in Tar. It is the seventh time that Blanchett has been nominated for an Oscar and if she wins then it’ll her third win.
“We’re all imperfect creatures. And sometimes we don’t have to look at the unthinking, unintentional, inexplicable, ambiguous sides of being female. We are brave, noble, generous, and collaborative. But we are also the dark side of that because women are complex beings.”
You Might Also Like: 10 Stupid Annoying Phrases Women Hate Hearing From Men
Makiko Ono
Makiko Ono is the incoming CEO of Suntory Beverages and Food, one of the largest food and drinks companies in Japan. She has a plan to get more women into high-up business positions in Japan, with statistics showing that women occupy only 8% of board seats in Japanese public companies.
“When opportunities come, just give it a try. Even if you fail, you won’t be stuck with it for the rest of your life, so take on challenges with an open mind.”
Masih Alinejad
Journalist and activist, Masih Alinejad has been exiled from her home country of Iran for 14 years due to the fact she is outspoken about Iran’s restrictions on women. It means she hasn’t seen her own mother since 2009. She has survived attempted kidnapping and assassination attempts in the past couple of years but her resolve has never been stronger.
“Women of Iran are Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s biggest enemy. He is scared of us more than anything.”
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe is one of the most popular female athletes to ever exist. Not only is she one of the most talented players of her generation, but her activism has seen the US Women’s National Soccer Team receive the same pay as the men’s. At the age of 47, Rapinoe’s career is coming to an end but she still has her eyes set on one more World Cup.
“I want our team to feel confident and swaggy and be exactly who we are. But ultimately, I want to win. That sh*t’s fun.”
Popular Reading: Angel Number 333. What It Means When You See It
Olena Shevchenko
Olena Shevchenko is no stranger to conflict. Since co-founding a non-profit support organization for women and LGBTQI communities in 2017 she has been attacked on several occasions. Since the war began in her home country of Ukraine, however, things have become even worse. Since war broke out, she has been focused on fundraising and has raised $400,000 in the past year.
“You need to remind people that women are not people who just need to give birth to new soldiers and take care of our heroes.”
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers’ singing career goes from strength to strength all while being outspoken about women having the right to decide what happens to their bodies. She has used her platform to promote abortion being health care. She believes that if you care about something, then it is your responsibility to defend it.
“The more honest I am, the world just keeps opening up for me.”
Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson is one of those people that is annoying because she’s good at everything. She is currently co-writing, executive-producing, and starring in the comedy series Abbott Elementary. Brunson takes inspiration from her own life, using teachers she encountered in real life as the basis for the characters in the sitcom.
“Through Janine and the rest of the characters, I hope to be able to help people love themselves a little bit more.”
You Might Also Like: How to Manifest Money Even if You’re Not a Believer.
Ramla Ali
While Megan Rapinoe is perhaps the more well-known of the two sportswomen on the list, that could change in the coming years as Ramla Ali continues to impress in the boxing ring. On top of her career as a boxer, Ali has launched Sisters Club, a non-profit organization that offers boxing lessons to women who don’t usually enjoy the sport.
“My next aim is to become a world champion and I’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.”
Veronica Cruz Sanchez
Since 2000, Veronica Cruz Sanchez’s feminist network, Las Libres, has been helping women get safe abortions in Guanajuato, a Mexican state that had criminalized them. Over the past couple of years, her network has spread to Texas after the American state passed a near-total abortion ban in 2021.
“When people tell me I’m crazy to risk arrest, it makes me angry. What I’m doing is the only reasonable thing to do.”
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe is one of the most popular female athletes to ever exist. Not only is she one of the most talented players of her generation, but her activism has seen the US Women’s National Soccer Team receive the same pay as the men’s. At the age of 47, Rapinoe’s career is coming to an end but she still has her eyes set on one more World Cup.
“I want our team to feel confident and swaggy and be exactly who we are. But ultimately, I want to win. That sh*t’s fun.”
Olena Shevchenko
Olena Shevchenko is no stranger to conflict. Since co-founding a non-profit support organization for women and LGBTQI communities in 2017 she has been attacked on several occasions. Since the war began in her home country of Ukraine, however, things have become even worse. Since war broke out, she has been focused on fundraising and has raised $400,000 in the past year.
“You need to remind people that women are not people who just need to give birth to new soldiers and take care of our heroes.”
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers’ singing career goes from strength to strength all while being outspoken about women having the right to decide what happens to their bodies. She has used her platform to promote abortion being health care. She believes that if you care about something, then it is your responsibility to defend it.
“The more honest I am, the world just keeps opening up for me.”
Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson is one of those people that is annoying because she’s good at everything. She is currently co-writing, executive-producing, and starring in the comedy series Abbott Elementary. Brunson takes inspiration from her own life, using teachers she encountered in real life as the basis for the characters in the sitcom.
“Through Janine and the rest of the characters, I hope to be able to help people love themselves a little bit more.”
Ramla Ali
While Megan Rapinoe is perhaps the more well-known of the two sportswomen on the list, that could change in the coming years as Ramla Ali continues to impress in the boxing ring. On top of her career as a boxer, Ali has launched Sisters Club, a non-profit organization that offers boxing lessons to women who don’t usually enjoy the sport.
“My next aim is to become a world champion and I’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.”
Veronica Cruz Sanchez
Since 2000, Veronica Cruz Sanchez’s feminist network, Las Libres, has been helping women get safe abortions in Guanajuato, a Mexican state that had criminalized them. Over the past couple of years, her network has spread to Texas after the American state passed a near-total abortion ban in 2021.
“When people tell me I’m crazy to risk arrest, it makes me angry. What I’m doing is the only reasonable thing to do.”
Source: Time Magazine
More from Motherhood Life Balance: