100 Women is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's women season", lasting three weeks including broadcast, online reports, debates and journalism on the topic of women. Women around the world are encouraged to participate via social media and comment on the list, as well as on the interviews and debates that follow release of the list.
History After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, then BBC Controller Liliane Landor, BBC editor Fiona Crack and other journalists, were inspired to create a series focusing on the issues and achievements of women in society today. They felt that many of the issues women faced were not getting in-depth coverage, and in March 2013 a "flood of feedback from female listeners" was received by the BBC to the effect that the corporation should provide more "content from and about women."
The BBC launched this series in 2013 to address the under-representation of women in the media. Women to participate in the first programme were chosen by survey in 26 different language services. Programming ran over the course of a month, culminating in a conference held on 25 October, in which 100 women from across the world discussed issues they shared. A wide range of topics were debated covering employment challenges, feminism, motherhood, and religion, to examine both the cultural and social challenges women faced in living their lives. One debate discussed whether being a feminist and a woman of faith was possible. The debate concluded with the majority thinking they excluded each other. The series included an interview with Malala and this was the first that had ever been broadcast.
The series has since covered many topics, including education, healthcare, equal pay, genital mutilation, domestic violence, and sexual abuse and seeks to provide women with a platform to discuss how to improve the world and eliminate sexism. Women included on the list are from around the globe, and involved in diverse fields of endeavour. Women who are already famous are included, as well as people who are less known.
Laureates
2024 The 2024 list was released on 3 December and included women facing conflicts and humanitarian crises. The 2024 list was subdivided into five categories, including 11 in the category Climate Pioneers.
Climate pioneers ImageNameCountryDescriptionMaheder HaileselassieEthiopiaPhotographerNejla IşıkTurkeyVillage head and forest campaignerAdenike Titilope OladosuNigeriaClimate justice advocateInna ModjaMaliArtist and climate advocateEnas Al-GhoulPalestinian TerritoriesAgricultural engineerShilshila AcharyaNepalSustainability entrepreneurNaomi ChandaZambiaFarmer and trainerRosmarie Wydler-WältiSwitzerlandTeacher and climate campaignerSasha LuccioniCanadaComputer scientistRosa Vásquez EspinozaPeruChemical biologistBrigitte BaptisteColombiaEcologist
Culture and education ImageNameCountryDescriptionOlivia McVeighUnited KingdomMake-up artistChristina Assi LebanonPhotojournalistDilorom YuldoshevaUzbekistanSeamstress and businesswomanXuân PhượngVietnamFilm director, author, gallery ownerEugenia Bonetti ItalyNunLesley Lokko Ghana/United KingdomArchitectSu Min ChinaRoad tripper and influencerAnat HoffmanIsraelReligious campaignerHinda Abdi Mohamoud SomaliaJournalistSvetlana AnokhinaRussiaHuman rights campaignerHamida Aman AfghanistanMedia and education entrepreneurJohana Bahamón ColombiaSocial activistIdania del Río CubaFashion entrepreneurHelen MolyneuxUnited KingdomCo-founder, Monumental Welsh WomenShin Daewe MyanmarFilmmakerCristina Rivera Garza Mexico/United StatesWriterShahrnush Parsipur Iran/United StatesWriter and translatorPlestia Alaqad Palestinian TerritoriesJournalist and poetZhanylsynzat Turganbaeva KyrgyzstanMuseum manager Sharon Kleinbaum United StatesRabbiMargarita Barrientos ArgentinaSoup kitchen founderYasmeen Mjalli Palestinian TerritoriesDesignerTracey Emin United KingdomArtistRoxy Murray United KingdomDisability rights advocateMaheder Haileselassie EthiopiaPhotographerPooja Sharma IndiaPerformer of funerary ritesLinda Dröfn Gunnarsdóttir IcelandWomen's shelter managerHarbia Al Himiary YemenHeritage conservation engineerMaria Teresa Horta PortugalPoet
Entertainment and sport ImageNameCountryDescriptionVinesh PhogatIndiaWrestlerJoan Chelimo Melly Kenya/RomaniaLong-distance runnerHend Sabry TunisiaActressNaomi Watanabe JapanComedianGaby Moreno GuatemalaLatin-pop musicianAllyson Felix United StatesTrack and field athleteZakia Khudadadi AfghanistanTaekwondo ParalympianNoella Wiyaala NwadeiGhanaAfro-pop musicianTracy Otto United StatesArcherHadiqa Kiani PakistanSinger and songwriterZhiying (Tania) Zeng ChileTable tennis playerRaye United KingdomSingerSharon Stone United StatesActressElaha Soroor AfghanistanSinger and composerFirda Marsya Kurnia IndonesiaHeavy metal musicianChloé Zhao United KingdomFilm directorRebeca Andrade BrazilGymnastInna Modja MaliArtist and climate advocateMadison Tevlin CanadaTalk-show host and modelKim Ye-jiSouth-KoreaSport shooter
Politics and advocacy ImageNameCountryDescriptionAruna RoyIndiaSocial activistAngela RaynerUnited KingdomDeputy Prime MinisterFeng YuanChinaWomen's rights advocateGuerline JozefHaitiImmigration rights campaignerHala AlkaribSudanActivist against sexual violence in warDanielle CantorIsrael/Palestinian TerritoriesCultural activistFawzia al-OtaibiSaudi Arabia/United KingdomWomen's rights campaignerNejla IşıkTurkeyVillage head and forest campaignerKatherine MartínezVenezuelaHuman rights lawyerKemi BadenochUnited KingdomLeader of the Conservative partyYumi SuzukiJapanPlaintiff in forced sterilisation lawsuitNadia MuradIraqNobel Peace Prize laureateGisèle PelicotFranceAdvocate of justice for sexual assault survivors, Rape survivorHuang JieTaiwanPoliticianAnnie Sinanduku MwangeDR CongoMinerSusan CollinsUnited StatesSenatorKasha Jacqueline NabageseraUgandaDiversity and inclusion campaignerEinav ZangaukerIsraelHostage release campaignerRosmarie Wydler-WältiSwitzerlandTeacher and climate campaignerMahrang BalochPakistanMedical doctor and political activistLatisha McCruddenIrelandIrish Traveller Movement activistAnn Chumaporn (Waaddao)ThailandLGBTQ+ rights campaignerLilia ChanyshevaRussiaPolitical activist and ex prisonerZhina Modares GorjiIranWomen's rights campaignerAmanda ZurawskiUnited StatesReproductive rights advocateRuth LópezEl SalvadorLawyerLourdes BarretoBrazilCampaigner for sex workers’ rightsHana-Rawhiti Maipi-ClarkeNew ZealandPolitician
Science, health and technology ImageNameCountryDescriptionEnas Al-GhoulPalestinian TerritoriesAgricultural engineerKauna Malgwi NigeriaUnion leader for content moderatorsOlga Rudnieva UkraineFounder, Superhumans CentreUkraineFarmerSasha LuccioniCanadaComputer scientistRikta Akter Banu BangladeshNurse and school founderShireen Abed Palestinian TerritoriesPaediatricianSilvana Santos BrazilBiologistBrigitte Baptiste ColombiaEcologistSara BerkaiUnited Kingdom/EritreaDesigner of DIY science kitsGeorgina Long AustraliaMedical oncologistKatalin KarikóHungaryBiochemist and Nobel laureateNour Emam EgyptFem-tech entrepreneurAdenike Titilope Oladosu NigeriaClimate justice advocateSubin ParkSouth KoreaFounder, Stair Crusher ClubGabriela Salas Cabrera MexicoProgrammer and data scientistNaomi ChandaZambiaFarmer and trainerSudanObstetricianSneha Revanur United StatesAI expertSamiaSyriaPsychology counsellorShilshila Acharya NepalSustainability entrepreneurSunita WilliamsUnited StatesAstronautRosa Vásquez EspinozaPeruChemical biologist
2023 The 2023 list was released on 21 November and it included 21 women involved with climate change. The laureates included the Indian cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, Aitana Bonmatí, Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, Timnit Gebru, and Huda Kattan. The list was subdivided into four categories: Culture & Education, Entertainment & Sport, Politics & Advocacy and Science, Health & Tech, with 28 of the laureates dubbed climate pioneers (shown as green rows below).
Politics & Advocacy Image Name Country of birth DescriptionMaryam Al-Khawaja (also a citizen of )Human rights campaigner, board member of Civicus and the International Service for Human RightsShamsa Araweelo (also a citizen of the )Anti-FGM campaigner Yasmina BenslimaneFounder of Politics4Her and gender equality campaignerYael Braudo-BahatPeace activist and co-director at Women Wage PeaceAlicia CahuiyaIndigenous rights activistAmal Clooney (also a citizen of the )Human rights lawyerDehenna DavisonMember of ParliamentChristiana FigueresDiplomat and climate policy negotiator with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeBella GalhosPolitical activist and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Rina GonoiFormer military officer and anti-sexual harassment activistSonia GuajajaraState minister for native peoples and indigenous rights campaignerRenita HolmesHousing rights campaigner Nataša KandićLawyer and human rights activist. Founder of the Humanitarian Law CenterRukshana KapaliHousing rights campaigner and transgender human rights activist FirefighterMonica McWilliamsFormer politician and peace negotiator during the Good Friday Agreement talks. Co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Najla Mohamed-Lamin Women's rights and climate activist in the Saharawi refugee camps Ulanda MtambaCampaigner against child marriageTamar MuseridzeInvestigative journalistNeema NamadamuDisability rights campaignerMichelle ObamaAttorney, author and campaignerSepideh RashnuWriter and artistBernadette SmithAdvocate for families of missing indigenous women and girls. Co-founder of Drag the RedIryna StavchukClimate policy adviser at the European Climate FoundationGloria SteinemFeminist leader and co-founder of Ms. magazineSummia ToraRefugee rights campaigner Xu ZaozaoEgg freezing campaigner. Advocate for single women's reproductive rights and bodily autonomy
Entertainment & Sport Image Name Country of birth DescriptionAitana BonmatíFootballer, winner of the Ballon d'Or and former UEFA player of the yearAntinisca CenciEquestrian vaulterCurator and cultural manager. Co-founder of PerifaConDesak Made Rita Kusuma DewiSpeed climberAmerica FerreraActor and Latino rights advocateAnne GrallComedianGeorgia HarrisonTV personality. Anti-revenge porn campaigner Harmanpreet Kaur CricketerClimate change campaigner for Kpop4planetJustina MilesDeaf performerDia MirzaActor. Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme and a board member of the Sanctuary Nature FoundationZandile NdhlovuFreediving instructorAlice OsemanAward-winning author, illustrator and screenwriterParamidaDJ and music producerCamila PirelliOlympic heptathlete and EcoAthlete ChampionAziza SbaitySprinterKhine Hnin WaiActor and activistBianca WilliamsAthlete
Culture & Education