Women’s History Month: 6 Diverse Figures in US, UK and Australian Education

As we mark Women’s History this month, it is important to highlight exceptional women who have broken through all kinds of barriers in the fight for equal rights and representation.

Over the years, trailblazing women have had to confront entrenched misogyny, tradition, and inertia in numerous fields. Many have had to persevere in the face of great odds to make history. This includes figures in the voting rights movement, politics, science, engineering, academia, and many more fields.

As a company active in the Higher Education sector, we wanted to shine a light on just a few individuals of note, historic and contemporary, in the educational arena. These figures are just some of many who have made history in the US, UK and Australia.

This is by no means an exhaustive or ranked list, but is meant to shed some light on a diverse array of activists and pioneers, both historical and contemporary.

1. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

   One of the most significant figures in the opening of the medical profession to women, Blackwell was the first woman in America to earn a medical degree. Born in England in 1821, she emigrated to the United States as a member of an abolitionist family, and initially devoted herself to teaching. Determined to open a door to medicine for female practitioners, she consulted with male physicians and petitioned numerous medical schools in the northeastern US, before graduated with her M.D. from Geneva Medical College (which eventually became SUNY Upstate Medical University). Contributing to nursing efforts during the Civil War, overcoming the loss of an eye from an infection, she persisted in moral and professional reform in the US and Europe, including founding the London School of Medicine for Women. Until her death in the early 20^th century, she was an active champion for women’s capabilities in this field.

2. Temple Grandin

   Temple Grandin is recognized as a trailblazing scientist and industrial designer who has contributed to major changes in the treatment of livestock throughout the latter half of the 20^th century. Born in Boston in 1947, she exhibited non-verbal behavior in her early years, and was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.  Overcoming attitudes regarding the limiting nature of her condition, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1970. Her insight into hypersensitivity to stimuli and her own extraordinary long-term visual memory were assets that she utilized in her work. Spending time at a cattle ranch, she eventually went on to publish a series of groundbreaking reports on how to reduce stress amongst livestock. She has gone on to become a leading figure in the modern neurodiversity movement and been the subject of a highly successful biopic movie released in 2010. She currently is a faculty member at the College of agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University.

3. Grace Tame

   Named as Australian of the Year 2021, Grace Tame is a recognized activist associated with the struggle for a safer educational environment in Australia. While studying in Tasmania, Tame survived sexual assault and rape at age 15 by a teacher, only to be gagged by legal restrictions that prevented her from speaking publicly of her ordeal. After years of campaigning on the part of Tame, including the use of the #LetHerSpeak hashtag, in 2020 Tasmania overturned the law that legally prevented sexual assault victims from publicly discussing their experiences. Victims were now free to speak out without danger of prosecution. A tireless advocate for survivors, Tame is a standout figure in the movement to better support victims of institutional abuse, noting “my focus is on empowering survivors and education as a primary means of prevention.”

4. Lucy Stanton

   Lucy Stanton is notable for being the first African American woman to complete a four-year university course in the United States. Born in Ohio in 1831, she grew up in a home that served as a refuge for many escaped slaves making their way north along the underground railroad. A committed abolitionist, she attended Oberlin University, completing a literary degree and delivering the celebrated ‘A Plea for the Oppressed’ speech at her graduation. An activist throughout her life, she taught former slaves in Georgia and Mississippi after the Civil War, eventually moving to Los Angeles to establish a refuge for Black women migrating to that expanding city. She remains a notable figure throughout the momentous period of change in the 19^th century United States, and her achievement stands as an early bright point for the opening of American universities to a more diverse student body.

5. Mary Warnock

   Mary Warnock, also known as Baroness Warnock, was a highly significant figure in the field of biology and medical research in the United Kingdom. Born in Hampshire in 1924, her relative privilege permitted her to first study classics, and then progress into the study of philosophy, with a focus on ethics and existentialism. A pragmatic, rational focus underpinned much of her important later work, as she progressed into serious academia and contributed to public policy work that tackled highly controversial topics. The landmark Warnock Report in 1971 contributed to the better integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools, while she also contributed significantly to the regulatory system that now governs the use of IVF, cloning, and the utilization of stem cells. A pioneering figure who spanned numerous academic disciplines, her influence on regulatory legislation in the latter half of the 20^th century cannot be overstated.

6. Clara Hemphill

   A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Clara Hemphill is known both for her journalism and her founding of the hugely popular InsideSchools.org. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Hemphill worked as a foreign correspondent, primarily for the Associated Press, and covered the Lebanese Civil War. Settling in the New York area, she began a drive for better openness and accountability as regards public schooling options. Utilizing publicly available data, reports, and assessments, InsideSchools.org is a completely free online service that provides an exhaustive insight into the state of public schools in the US’s most populous urban center. Staffed by journalists and public-school advocates, the goal of the project is to energize “engaged, informed parents (who can) promote racially and economically integrated schools of the highest quality”. This project and Hemphill’s work shines a light on the evolving role of data in the earliest, most crucial stages of education, and in the struggle for better local schooling.

All these figures share a common quality – the willingness to challenge an entrenched system, and push for a more inclusive environment for all.

This ability to be a force of progress in institutional scenarios is one that is important to recognize during this year’s Women’s History Month. At Explorance, recognizing these ongoing societal challenges forms part of our culture. Check back for more content related to Women’s History Month throughout March.