BY JAKE PERKINS

THIS Tuesday was International Women’s Day, dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

Reflecting on this I thought of the numerous amounts of women that we all can draw inspiration from.

First and probably the least well known is Dolores Ibárruri, who was a Republican heroine of the Spanish Civil War.

When the military tried to overthrow the elected communist government in 1936, Dolores gave her famous “they shall not pass” speech.

This phrase has become a pop culture statement for those resisting oppression and oppressive regimes.

Even before her death in 1989, she had a lasting impact on women in European politics.

Marie Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist, known best for her research on radioactivity that was truly ahead of its time.

Curie was the first woman to ever be awarded a Nobel Prize and have more than one Nobel Prize.

Her achievements included the development of the theory of radioactivity and the discovery of the elements polonium and radium.

Despite her success, Curie continued to face great opposition from male scientists in France.

Ironically, Curie died as a result of her work with radioactive substances, when she developed cancer.

The present German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is a huge modern inspiration for women in politics.

Merkel was raised in the divided post-war Germany and was a research scientist with a doctorate in physical chemistry.

She was Germany’s first female leader of the Christian Democratic Union and became the first female chancellor when she assumed office in 2005.

Merkel is regarded by many as the de facto leader of the European Union and Forbes listed her as the second most powerful person and the most powerful woman in the world.

She has made headway for women across Europe to enter into long and successful careers in politics.

What all these women have is an inspirational story, one of overcoming oppression and sexism to become known for their prominence in the respective fields.

There are so many others that you could list but these three truly speak to me.

Say no to discrimination and say yes to equality.