It’s About Time–Influential Women That Time Forgot

Posted by Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network at 5:00 PM on May 6, 2008.

Well here it is, the opening salvo of the “It’s About Time” list of influential women that Time should have included in their list of 100 influential leaders. We need more names! Let’s make it clear that far more than 25% of the influential people on this planet happen to be women. By perpetuating the diminishing of women’s leadership and influence, Time deprives us of valuable insights and contributes to the toxic perception that the lives and work of women is less important than the contributions of men.

1. Barbara Brenner–Breast Cancer Action
2. Jennifer Drew–English activist working to highlight misogynist media portrayals of sexual assault.
3. Cathy Webster–1000 Grandmothers
4. Geena Davis
5. Leuren Moret and Helen Caldicott for raising awareness about the dangers of nuclear power and depleted uranium
6. Lilly Ledbetter
7. Amma
8. Alice Walker
9. Pema Chodron—Buddhist Monk, author
10. Kara Walker–artist
11. Jane Roberts–co-founder of 34 Million Friends of UNFPA
12. Yanar Mohammed–Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq
13. Medea Benjamin–Code Pink
14. Doris ‘Granny D’ Haddock
15. The women’s organizations in Okinanwa that are speaking out against the handling of sexual assaults committed by US military personnel
16. The Myannmar nuns and other women who marched with the monks but got almost no notice
17. Cynthia McKinney–presumptive nominee for president of the Green Party
18. Riane Eisler
19. Frances Moore Lappe
20. Malalai Joya
21. Wangari Maathai
22. Helen Thomas
23. Amy Goodman
24. Starhawk
25. My mother, your mother, and all the women who teach in classrooms everywhere–if they aren’t influential, somebody needs to explain to me the definition of that word!

And it isn’t just Time that needs to see this list. Echidne reports that the UK Telegraph just pulled the same stunt with it’s list of top 10 important people who all happen to be male and white.

Tagged as: women, lists, time magazine, leaders