New York City is a place built on ambition and bold personalities. But for a long time, the stories we heard focused mostly on the men. Let’s change that and shine a spotlight on some of the incredible women whose work, activism, and sheer will helped shape the city’s history and continue to inspire.

New York’s energy has always attracted those seeking to change society. These women went beyond the roles expected of their time:

• Lillian Wald: Founder of the Henry Street Settlement, she revolutionized public health care for the poor on the Lower East Side and was a tireless advocate for immigrant communities.
• Margaret Sanger: A controversial but undeniably impactful figure, Sanger defied laws in her fight to make birth control accessible to women, fundamentally changing women’s lives.
• Jane Jacobs: She went against the tide of urban planning in the 1960s, championing walkable neighborhoods and the preservation of historic communities against destructive mega-projects.
• Shirley Chisholm: The first Black woman elected to Congress, representing Brooklyn. She later became the first Black woman to seek a major party’s nomination for president.

Artists with a New York Edge

NYC has been a creative haven for women drawn to its energy and opportunities for self-expression:

• Georgia O’Keeffe: While known for her New Mexico landscapes, her early years in NYC shaped her artistic vision and her rise as a modernist icon.
• Martha Graham: A dancer and choreographer who revolutionized modern dance, her NYC-based company trained generations of influential dancers.
• Diane Arbus: Her unflinching photographs captured the city’s outsiders and eccentrics in the 1950s and 60s, challenging notions of beauty and who gets documented.
• Sonia Sotomayor: Not an artist in the traditional sense, but the Bronx-born Supreme Court justice is an artist of the written word and her rise inspires as a symbol of the potential a NYC upbringing holds.

Blazing Trails in Business & Beyond

The women who broke barriers in the tough world of New York business, science, and everything in between:

• Madam C.J. Walker: Around the turn of the 20th century, she built a haircare empire specifically for Black women, becoming one of the first self-made female millionaires in America.
• Estée Lauder: Her cosmetics company is now a global force, but it started with her drive and hustle, selling creams in NYC beauty salons and hotels.
• Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: This Bronx-raised woman won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discoveries with medical imaging, a rare achievement for women in science at the time.

Women Defying Expectations, Past and Present

The best thing about highlighting women who shaped NYC is realizing their impact continues:

• Forgotten No More: Initiatives like the “She Built NYC” project install plaques honoring important women where they lived and worked – finally making their contributions visible in the cityscape.
• Modern-Day Groundbreakers: From chefs like Dominique Crenn to political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, women continue to smash glass ceilings in a city still overflowing with ambition.

Why Focusing on NYC Women Matters

It’s not about saying women are “better” – it’s about filling out an incomplete picture:

• A More Complete History: Understanding NYC requires understanding the contributions of ALL its residents, not just the famous men who tend to hog the history books.
• Role Models Matter: Seeing women who achieved remarkable things in the face of prejudice can be incredibly inspiring for young New Yorkers (and anyone, really) charting their own paths.
• The Fight’s Not Over: NYC has come a long way, but there’s still battles for equality in pay, opportunities, and representation. Remembering past pioneers helps fuel those ongoing struggles.

Spotlighting NYC’s Women: How to Dig Deeper

Want to go down this rabbit hole? Here’s how:

• NYC Museums: The New York Historical Society and others often have women-focused exhibits.
• Walking Tours: Find tours focused on influential NYC women’s neighborhoods, workplaces, and the challenges they overcame.
• Books & Documentaries: Numerous biographies, documentaries, and even historical novels tell the stories of women from a diverse range of backgrounds who made their mark on the city.

New York City wouldn’t be the vibrant, sometimes messy, always striving place it is without the contributions of countless women. Their stories deserve to be told as loudly and proudly as any of the city’s iconic male figures.