International Women’s Day | 8 Kickass Women Who Put Yorkshire On The Map

Who Run The World?

It’s International Women’s Day and we’re all for it. Yorkshire has been blessed with some of the strongest, most inspirational and pioneering women in the world, so we thought we’d give them a little shout out. Not that they need it, read our list of women, either born or raised in Yorkshire and tell us we’re wrong; we’ve got some pretty kick ass women around these parts…

Betty Boothroyd

One of Britain’s best loved Speakers of the House of Commons and the first woman picked for the post in history. No mincing of words, no nonsense and a straight forward approach made Betty a popular figure in British politics. She held the post for eight years, before retiring in 2000.

Barbara Hepworth

Hailing from Wakefield, Hepworth is one of the most successful and recognisable sculptors of the 20th century.

She’s an internationally recognised artist, well respected in her field, with exhibitions throughout the world including Tate London. There’s also a Hepworth museum, named in her honour at Wakefield, showcasing her work alongside others.

Helen Fielding

Without Helen Fielding, we wouldn’t have Bridget Jones. That means we wouldn’t have ‘Bridget Jones Pants’. Enough said.

Helen Sharman

The first British astronaut, way ahead of Tim Peake. Helen beat 13000 applicants to become the first British astronaut as part of ‘Project Juno’.

An accomplished Chemist in her own right, she’s got some proper bragging rights; going all the way from Grenoside, Sheffield, right up to space. That’s a proper journey.

Judi Dench

Dame Judi Dench no less. Born in North Yorkshire and heading all the way to Hollywood, JD definitely brings a little A-List sparkle to this list!

She’s a household name, starring in endless big hit films, but she’s probably best known for her James Bond appearances as M.

Baftas, Academy Awards, Golden Globes, basically Judi has been nominated and won the lot. Offscreen, she’s also a very well respected and recognised theatre performer too; a global superstar, with Yorkshire roots.

Bronte Sisters

Ok, is a list really complete without adding the wonderful Bronte sisters? Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, it’s safe to say the Brontes are a staple of British literature, bringing in tourists from around the world to see where they lived and worked. They’ll do for us.

Jess Ennis-Hill

What’s not to love about Jess Ennis? Not only did she absolutely smash it at London 2012, she came back from injury and a long layoff (to be a mum) to win silver at Rio.

We’re totally in awe of Jess’ achievements, not only on the track & field, but off too. She’s a brilliant ambassador and inspiration for women’s sport, as well as (along with Toni Minichiello) being a great ambassador for Sheffield too.

Nicola Adams

Another world beating sports star, Nicola Adams put Leeds on the map when she won Gold at London 2012 in the women’s flyweight final. She later defended her Olympic gold in Rio four years later, ultimately, retiring with an undefeated record.

If Nicola doesn’t deserve a place on our list, we’re not sure who does! A champion in every sense of the word.

The Wrap Up

Listen, we get it, the list of Yorkshire women that are making the world a better place is literally endless, but don’t let us stop you! If you think there’s someone worth mentioning that we’ve missed (which we’re sure there are), let us know on our Twitter page, let’s build this list together and show the world how awesome Yorkshire lasses are.

Don’t forget to share with all your friends using the social sharing buttons below, we really do appreciate it.

 

Tell All Your Friends

convert digital

international-womens-day-8-kickass-women-who-put-yorkshire-on-the-map