Malala Yousafzai Among Women Who “Changed The World” As We Know It: World changers

The 17-year-old girls’ education activist, Malala Yousafzai was named as one of the top 40 women who have “changed the world” as we know it.

The youngest ever Nobel prize recipient, Malala Yousafzai is ranked at number 30 in the list, compiled from the results of a poll of 2,000 British adults.

Ms. Yousafzai, who survived a near-fatal Taliban attack two years ago with determination in advocating education for girls, won the Nobel Peace Prize this year along with the Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi.

She is currently studying in Britain, where she lives with her exiled family. Find out more about her

The top five places go to Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Mother Teresa.

Malala Yousafzai, who has been hailed all over the world as a figure of courage, is one ahead of Linda McCartney and just behind Hilary Clinton.

Polish-born physicist and chemist Curie, the pioneering scientist, tops the list of the most influential women who “changed the world,” which includes politicians, campaigners, royals and authors.

However, the study saw Princess Diana voted 6th in the list of women who changed the world, while commonly known as the Iron Lady, Britain’s first and only female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, rounds off the top three in the poll.

The research was commissioned to mark the return of Sky Arts’ comedy series Psychobitches, the satirical show which playfully delves into the minds of some of history’s most influential and iconic women.

A spokeswoman for Sky Arts said, ‘There’s no doubt that the women on this list changed the world and continue to inspire people today.

‘These characters – and all the women in the series – offer us a light-hearted look at what these incredible women might have confessed on the psychiatrist’s couch, given the chance.

‘In Psychobitches we get to see another side of some of them the Margaret Thatcher, Joan of Arc and Queen Elizabeth I you see on the show present themselves very differently to how they are depicted in history books.’

TOP 10 WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

1. Marie Curie

2. Florence Nightingale

3. Margaret Thatcher

4. Emmeline Pankhurst

5. Mother Teresa

6. Princess Diana

7. Queen Victoria

8. Anne Frank

9. Joan of Arc

10. Queen Elizabeth I
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29. Hilary Clinton

30. Malala Yousafzai
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40. Simone de Beauvoir

Note: Only a third of the 2,000 polled felt there were enough inspirational figures for today’s younger generation. In fact, a resounding eight in ten felt young women idolise modern celebrities far too much.

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