20 Essential TED Talks for Women

Women today have more options and freedoms than they’ve had at any point in history, but there’s still a long way to go for true equality in the workplace and everyday life.

Whether you’re a college student working to get ahead in a male dominated field or a woman already in the working world and meeting that glass ceiling head on, you know about the harsh realities that face women in our own country. You’re likely no stranger to the even more perilous conditions that threaten women around the world. It can all be a bit disheartening, but there is hope for change. These TED Talks will show you the power of women as leaders, mothers, workers, and thinkers and provide inspiration to keep pushing things forward.

1. Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders: Why don’t women get to the top of their professions and take on roles as CEOs and executives? The reasons are complex, as you’ll learn here, but Sandberg also provides some helpful advice for women who do want to reach those top echelons.
2. Hanna Rosin: New data on the rise of women: Women have come a long way in the past few decades and, as you’ll see in this talk, are even surpassing men in several important areas both in the US and other countries around the world. What does this mean for women? Hanna Rosin discusses the long-term implications of this shift and what it means for women today and in the future.
3. Sheryl WuDunn: Our century’s greatest injustice: Author of Half the Sky Sheryl WuDunn talks about oppression of women around the world in this talk. While the stats and stories are saddening, she also showcases a solution in education, which can empower women and help break them out of the cycle of oppression.
4. Isabel Allende tells tales of passion: Author Isabel Allende is known for her powerful, emotional, and sometimes romantic novels, but she also has a passion for helping women. In this talk, you’ll not only hear about her writing, but also her work though a foundation that’s dedicated to empowering women and girls.
5. Brenda Laurel on games for girls: As most young women and girls will tell you, it isn’t that they don’t have any interest in using a video game system, it’s just that most games don’t really appeal to their interests. In this lecture, you’ll learn why that is and how developers can work to create games that attract this largely untapped market.
6. Kavita Ramdas: Radical women, embracing tradition: For many women around the world, there is a clash between the ideals of women’s empowerment from the West and their own traditional culture. In this talk from the director of the Global Fund for Women, you’ll see how some women are successfully navigating the space between the two and making the world a better place for women (and men) around the globe.
7. Halla Tomasdottir: A feminine response to Iceland’s financial crash: Stereotypical feminine values are usually looked down upon, if not outright laughed at, in the business world. Yet this enterprising businesswoman used them to help her financial company weather one of the worst economic crises in decades, proving that what is common may not always be what is right.
8. Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl: Creator of The Vagina Monologues Eve Ensler aims to inspire girls and women to embrace their inner girl and celebrate being a woman, with all the joy, pain, and power it may bring.
9. Courtney Martin: Reinventing feminism: Defining what feminism is can be a difficult task, as it means something different to every woman and every generation. In this talk, Courtney Martin, editor at Feministing.com, shares some of the paradoxes of her generation’s quest to define what feminism means to them.
10. Madeleine Albright: On being a woman and a diplomat: One of the most respected and widely-known women in politics in the world, Madeline Albright paved the way for the scores of women in the political sphere today. In this talk, she shares why women’s issues shouldn’t be dismissed in foreign policy and her own journey as a woman in politics.
11. Sunitha Krishnan fights sex slavery: Sex slavery is a multimillion-dollar business in many countries around the world, ruining the lives of many women and girls, some at an extremely young age. Sunitha Krishnan has dedicated her life to rescuing the victims of sex slavery and shares some powerful stories and hope for the future.
12. Mitchell Besser: Mothers helping mothers fight HIV: In Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV infections are more common than anywhere in the world, often spread to women from unfaithful husbands and passed on to children from their mothers. In this talk, Mitchell Bessner showcases the power of women to band together for change as he discusses a program dedicated to helping women support and educate each other on HIV.
13. Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender: If you’ve ever seen an advertisement, you know that they are usually blatantly sexist and make use of gender stereotypes quite liberally, yet things may be changing with the power of the web. Hear from Johanna Blakley on how social media may just change how advertisers interact with women.
14. Eve Ensler on security: Feeling disenfranchised? Listen to this talk from Eve Ensler on the desire for security in our lives and some inspirational stories of women who are making changes and becoming more secure in their own right.
15. Kiran Bedi: A police chief with a difference: Kiran Bedi isn’t just amazing for being the first female director of the Indian Police Service and the warden of one of the country’s toughest prisons, but also her commitment to making change. She is an exceptional leader and shares some of her stories here. They may just inspire you to take on that dream you thought was impossible.
16. Hans Rosling and the magic washing machine: In decades past, women who stayed at home had little free time to read or pursue hobbies. The advent of technologies like the washing machine, however, created change in the home and in society at large, an effect you’ll learn about in depth in this talk from Hans Rosling.
17. Mother and daughter doctor-heroes: Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed: Often referred to as the "Saints of Somalia," this mother-daughter duo have taken on the oppression and terror that affects women in their country head on, opening a hospital and school to build a stronger community and better future.
18. Deborah Rhodes: A tool that finds 3x more breast tumors, and why it’s not available to you: Learn why the politics of medicine may be keeping an amazing diagnostic tool out of your hospital from breast cancer expert Deborah Rhodes. Would the same politics come into play for medical devices designed to help only men? It’s certainly something to think about.
19. Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change: New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly takes a look at the expectations and stereotypes of women in a humorous way through her drawings, many of which she showcases here.
20. Shirin Neshat: Art in exile: Exiled Iranian artist Shirin Neshat shares her work in this amazing TED Talk, tracing the lives of women in the years before and after the Islamic Revolution in the country and a small glimpse into the lives and identities of many Muslim women.

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