Imagine this: It's the 1800s, and you're walking through the halls of a male-dominated medical school where men not only take offense at your presence, but treat you with outright hostility. When the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S. applied to med school, her acceptance was met with disbelief—many of her male peers saw it as a joke, a prank meant to embarrass the establishment.
Back then, medical schools didn’t allow women to study anatomy, let alone sit in lectures or perform dissections. Yet Elizabeth Blackwell broke through, not just earning her medical degree in 1849, but going on to co-found the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s journey into the stories of women who risked their lives to create a better future for women’s health. From breaking barriers in medicine and mental health to fighting for reproductive rights and pioneering modern nursing, we owe much of our progress in health and wellness to these women’s relentless efforts.
Dorothea Dix
Before Elizabeth Blackwell made history in medicine, Dorothea Dix was shaping the future of mental health care in an era when women were rarely seen in hospitals—unless they were the patients themselves. As Dix visited prisons and almshouses, she was struck by the overt neglect and abuse, especially towards women, who were often hidden away and forgotten.
At a time when mental health was poorly understood, she took up the cause no one cared about. Her relentless advocacy led to the establishment of the first mental health hospitals in the U.S., providing dignified care to those who had long been ignored.
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger lived during a time in American history where discussing birth control was not only taboo—it was illegal. The Comstock Laws, enacted in the late 1800s, prohibited the distribution of contraceptive information or devices, framing any effort to empower women with reproductive choices as a crime.
Yet Sanger, a nurse who often witnessed the suffering of women throughout repeated, dangerous pregnancies, could not ignore the urgent need for change. In 1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn in a direct challenge to the law and societal norms. She was arrested for her efforts, but that didn’t stop her from laying the foundation for what later became Planned Parenthood.
Alice Paul
Alice Paul made her contribution to women’s rights in a world where women’s roles were still largely confined to the home. Education, employment, and health care were systematically designed to limit opportunities, reinforcing a dependence on men. The few women who had ventured outside these boundaries were met with scorn and dismissed as “unladylike.”
Armed with her suffragist background and her belief in women’s full participation in every facet of society, Paul pushed forward the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1923—a call for the legal recognition of gender equality across the nation.
Henrietta Lacks
While receiving cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins, Henrietta Lacks’ cells were taken without her consent— a common practice at the time, especially for Black patients. Before her, scientists struggled to grow human cells outside the body. But Lacks' cells, later known as HeLa cells, were different. They thrived, grew, and multiplied indefinitely in lab cultures, essentially becoming a renewable resource for scientific research. HeLa cells contributed to breakthroughs in cancer research, virology (including the polio vaccine), gene mapping, and drug testing.
Though Lacks' contribution was never acknowledged during her lifetime, her legacy raises important questions about ethics, consent, and the treatment of African Americans in medical research—issues still relevant today.
Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison’s groundbreaking achievement as the first Black woman to travel into space was just the beginning of her legacy. While her name is forever linked to space exploration, her advocacy for the intersection of science and healthcare has been just as impactful.
After her time at NASA, Jemison shifted her focus to advancing medical research and promoting diversity within the scientific and healthcare fields. She founded the Jemison Group, which worked on projects that combined science, technology, and healthcare to address critical issues affecting underserved communities. Jemison’s work continues to inspire innovation in both science and healthcare, making her a trailblazer among the stars as well as improving life on Earth.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life championing women’s rights, tirelessly fighting for gender equality across a range of issues from education to employment. Her advocacy didn’t just stop at the courtroom door—it extended into the realm of health and wellness, where she became a powerful force for change.
One of her most significant contributions came in 2016, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down restrictive abortion laws in Texas with Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a decision that reaffirmed a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and health. Ginsburg’s influence helped ensure that women’s access to reproductive care remained protected, solidifying her place as a tireless defender of healthcare rights.
5 Surprising Milestones in Women's Rights
Unmarried Women Gained the Right to Own Property in 1848: In many states, it wasn’t until 1848 that unmarried women could own property in their own name.
Women Couldn't Access Birth Control Without Consent Until 1965: Before Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, married women couldn’t use contraception without their husband’s consent.
Women Couldn't Open Bank Accounts Without a Husband Until 1974: Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, married women couldn’t open a credit card or a bank account without their husband's approval.
Women Didn't Have Access to Credit Cards Until the 1970s: Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, women needed a male cosigner to get a credit card.
Domestic Violence Wasn't a Federal Crime Until 1993: Domestic violence was often dismissed as a private matter, but the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 made it a federal offense.
These groundbreaking milestones in women’s rights, from owning property to gaining access to credit cards and fighting for reproductive choices, have paved the way for the health and wellness advancements we see today. As we reflect on these pivotal moments, we’re reminded that the fight for equality is ongoing and that the progress made by women throughout history continues to shape a future where health, wellness, and personal agency are within every woman's reach.