You know all those career paths that were, for a long time, assumed to be for boys only? Maybe you’ve heard of (or know, or are) someone who wanted to become an engineer, or a police officer, or a professional basketball player, but was never encouraged because they were a girl. Maybe they were told they weren’t big enough, tough enough, or capable enough to succeed. Unfortunately, philosophy has been known to uphold gender stereotypes too, and if you look through the history of big thinkers, you’ll find that women are generally outnumbered by men. Sometimes you don’t see any women mentioned at all.
Well, it’s Women’s History Month, and we’re here to assure you and your little thinker that even thousands of years ago, there were still smart, creative and thoughtful girls and women doing philosophy. You just have to look a little closer to find them.
In celebration of all that women have contributed to philosophy, here are some favourites to look up and share with your kids:
- Gargi Vachnaknavi (India, 7th Century BCE)
- Hypatia of Alexandria (Egypt, 355-415)
- Empress Wu (China, 624-705)
- Hildegard of Bingen (Germany, 1098-1175)
- Sor Juana (Mexico, 1648-1695)
- Mary Wollstonecraft (England, 1759-1797)
- Anna J. Cooper (USA, 1858-1964)
- Ayn Rand (Russia, 1905-1982)
- Hannah Arendt (Germany, 1906-1975)
- Rachel Carson (USA, 1907-1964)
- Simone de Beauvoir (France, 1908-1986)
- Iris Murdoch (Ireland, 1919-1999)
- Val Plumwood (Australia, 1939-2008)
This, good thinkers, is only the tip of the iceberg. Each of these phenomenal thinkers contributed ideas to their communities, and so many more examples of women with big questions can be found from around the world, from all different eras, and in all different branches of philosophy. As the saying goes, “If you can see it, you can be it.” and we hope to see even more little girls contributing to philosophical thought.
