International Womens Day, 2019 - Women who are changing the world !!

Women do not need an "International Women's Day" to change the world.  We have many women all over the world doing amazing work and proving that it doesn't matter what day it is — it's always a good time to celebrate the advances made by women in the past few years. 

The theme of International Women's Day, 2019 is #BalanceforBetter. From a former first lady penning an amazing book which took over the world as the best seller, to the first openly transgender state representative, these ladies are changing what it means to "act like a girl" in 2019. These women are changing the stereotypes and deserve recognition and accolades to the phenomenal work they are doing. They are shaping the future of the world and are changing social opinions about women all over the world. 

It is a proud moment for women that in the global Business scenario, Women represent more than 1/3 of all people involved in the entrepreneurial activity and it’s getting better every day. 

Let us look at the amazing work of some of these extraordinary women who are proving the power of women on this International Women's Day.

Malala Yousafzai

Five years after becoming the youngest Nobel Prize winner ever, Malala Yousafzai continues to inspire the world with her global movement for equal opportunity in education everywhere.  Her life is a great inspiration for women all over the world who are striving for even basic education.

She has survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban when she was barely 18. She is the reason behind protests across Pakistan to pass the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, which led her to become the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  During her winning speech, Malala told the world that the award was "for those forgotten children who want (an) education." 

She has shocked the entire world during David Letterman's Netflix show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" when she said that she forgave her attackers. "I forgive them because that's the best revenge I can have," she told Letterman which is a lesson one should keep in mind to move forward in life.

She is currently working on her third book, "We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World," which was published in January 2019.

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel is called "the leader of the free world."

She has changed the world by becoming the first female chancellor in Germany, a position she was elected to in 2005. She is proudly called the de facto leader of the European Union and the leader of the free world by many news outlets. 

For her great work in German Politics like polarizing open door immigration policy, and steering her country through a financial crisis, The Forbes Magazine named her the most powerful woman in the world in 2018.

Nadia Murad 

Nadia Murad became the first Iraqi ever to be awarded a Nobel Prize in 2018.

She had a very painful experience of getting captivated by ISIS and was exploited as a sex slave by members of ISIS in 2014 for three months. It has not silenced or pulled her down, but rather she became a global figure in the human rights movement and started advocating for the Yazidi people and started educating people about what's going on in her home country.

Nadia Murad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her refusal to "accept the social codes that require women to remain silent and ashamed of the abuses to which they have been subjected." 

She went on to become the first-ever United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. Kudos to her courage !!!

Tarana Burke 

Burke is the one who has created the #MeToo movement, which is making waves throughout the world. She has started the #MeToo movement over a decade ago. This led to the exposure of the dark side of the celebrities who had assaulted their colleagues and subordinates sexually. This started initially in Hollywood and went on to encourage the survivors all over the world to come out and share their experiences as they felt they aren't alone.

Thanks to the movement created by Burke, during 2018, high profile figures have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct, which would have remained in the dark otherwise. 

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is a writer, lawyer, married to the 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama, is the first African American first lady. She is a role model for women and worked towards education, nutrition, and healthy living.

The former first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" has reached the number one place on Amazon as the best seller of 2018. It has created a record by being the No.1 on Amazon for 47 days continuously. In her book, she didn't hesitate to reveal her struggles with miscarriage and IVF and her lifestyle in the White House for eight years, which people refrain to talk openly. She has no dearth of inspirational quotes in her book which lift your mood when you are in blues. 

Meghan Markle

The new Duchess of Sussex was the most Googled person of 2018. She is continuing her passionate work about the arts, support for women and their education and animal welfare throughout the world. She has changed many customs and norms of the English Royal family with her outgoing nature and creating a royal protocol for herself.

Meghan Markle has big plans for International Women’s Day at King’s College in London, with other prominent women from all over the world, to discuss the obstacles and how to overcome them for aiding Women Empowerment all over the world.