Women Sociologists
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Throughout history, there have been many women sociologists who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great female sociologists such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Alva Myrdal, Emily Greene Balch, Hannah Arendt, Judith Butler.The women sociologists featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & Australia and many more countries.
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Birthdate: June 12, 1802
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Norwich, Norfolk, England
Died: June 27, 1876
Regarded by many as the first female sociologist, Harriet Martineau was a prominent 19th-century social theorist, classical economist, and intellectual who penned the iconic work The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte. She was partially deaf and had lost her sense of taste and smell in childhood.
Birthdate: July 3, 1860
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut
Died: August 17, 1935
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an American novelist, humanist, poet, and short-story writer. Best remembered as a utopian feminist, Gilman served as an inspiration for several generations of feminists. A National Women's Hall of Fame inductee, Charlotte Perkins Gilman is also remembered for her semi-autobiographical work, The Yellow Wallpaper.
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Patricia Hill Collins(Philosopher, Sociologist, University teacher, American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award)
Birthdate: May 1, 1948
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Birthdate: January 17, 1853
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama, United States
Died: January 26, 1933
Alva Belmont was an American socialite who played a major role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States of America. Remembered for her intelligence, energy, and strong opinions, Belmont is credited with founding the Political Equality League which aimed at promoting suffrage-supporting politicians. Alva Belmont is also credited with co-founding the National Woman's Party in 1916.
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Ruth Benedict(Anthropologist, Folklorist, University teacher, Poet, Sociologist, Biographer)
Birthdate: June 5, 1887
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City
Died: September 17, 1948
Ruth Benedict was an American folklorist and anthropologist. Benedict, who played an important role in the American Folklore Society, also served as the American Anthropological Association's president; the association gives away an annual prize named after Ruth Benedict. In 2005, she was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.
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Julia Kristeva(Bulgarian-French Author and Academic Whose Themes Surrounded on Feminism, Semiotics, and Psychoanalysis)
Birthdate: June 24, 1941
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sliven, Bulgaria
Bulgarian-born French author and literary critic Julia Kristeva is also a professor at the University Paris Diderot. Her writings, such as the Female Genius trilogy, are centered around feminism, semiotics, and psychoanalysis. She has also pioneered semanalysis and has been recognized with honors such as Commander of the Legion of Honor.
Birthdate: July 21, 1944
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Yaba Department
Died: January 25, 2017
Nigerian-born novelist Buchi Emecheta OBE, who was based in the UK since 1962, gained critical-acclaim and recognition for her literary works with themes including child-slavery, female independence, motherhood and freedom through education. Notable works of Emecheta include novels like Second Class Citizen, The Bride Price, The Joys of Motherhood and The Slave Girl. The latter won her Jock Campbell Award.
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Carol Gilligan(Psychologist, Philosopher, Non-fiction writer, Sociologist, Feminist)
Birthdate: November 28, 1936
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City
Carol Gilligan is an American psychologist, ethicist, and feminist. She is renowned for her work on ethical relationships and ethical community. She also serves as a professor of Applied Psychology and Humanities at New York University. Considered the chief architect of the ethics of care, Gilligan was named in the 25 most influential people list by Time magazine in 1996.
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Beatrice Webb(British Sociologist, Economist, Socialist, Labour Historian and Social Reformer)
Birthdate: January 22, 1858
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Gloucestershire, England
Died: April 30, 1943
Sociologist Beatrice Webb is best remembered for coining the term collective bargaining. Along with her husband, Sidney Webb, whom she met at the Fabian Society, and others, Beatrice co-founded the London School of Economics. In spite of her lack of formal education, she was a prominent educator and an avid diarist.
Birthdate: January 12, 1923
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland
Died: April 14, 2010
Apart from being a renowned psychologist, Alice Miller became an international sensation with her debut book, The Drama of the Gifted Child, a bestseller. A Holocaust survivor, who had lost her father in a Jewish ghetto, she analyzed child abuse, including education, violence, and parental abuse.
Birthdate: January 5, 1947
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Apart from teaching sociology at Columbia University and LSE, sociologist Saskia Sassen has also devoted over 3 decades of her life to research. She introduced the term global city. The daughter of a Dutch Nazi journalist, she grew up in Argentina and Italy, before studying in France.
Birthdate: May 2, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Died: April 12, 2009
Birthdate: October 15, 1910
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: November 16, 1980
Helene Rytmann was a French sociologist and revolutionary who played an important role in the French Resistance. Widely regarded as a historically important Jewish woman, Helene Rytmann was murdered by her husband Louis Althusser. The case was never properly investigated and the scandal of Rytmann's murder inspired the 2002 novel Shroud which was written by Irish novelist William John Banville.
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Alva Myrdal(Swedish Politician and Sociologist & Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982)
Birthdate: January 31, 1902
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Uppsala, Sweden
Died: February 1, 1986
Alva Myrdal was a Swedish politician, diplomat, and sociologist. She played a major role during the disarmament movement in Sweden, for which she was honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. She also chaired the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute after playing a key role in its creation. Throughout her career, Myrdal was honored with many prestigious awards.
Birthdate: September 16, 1935
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Born to German-Jewish immigrants in Argentina, Esther Vilar studied medicine before she moved to Germany to study psychology and sociology. After taking up scores of odd jobs, she soared to international fame with her bestselling book The Manipulated Man, which argues that women aren’t oppressed but control men in relationships.
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Theda Skocpol(Historian, Political scientist, Sociology, University teacher)
Birthdate: May 4, 1947
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Detroit
Birthdate: July 16, 1947
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mobile
Birthdate: January 20, 1944
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City
Birthdate: January 9, 1962
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia
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Emily Greene Balch(Central Leader of the 'Women's International League for Peace and Freedom' and Winner of 1946 Nobel Peace Prize)
Birthdate: January 8, 1867
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Boston
Died: January 9, 1961
Emily Greene Balch was an American sociologist, economist, and pacifist. She is best remembered for her work to deal with social issues like child labor, poverty, and immigration. She also worked towards reducing juvenile delinquency and uplifting poor immigrants. In 1946, Emily Greene Balch was honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
Birthdate: July 8, 1943
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: St. Louis
Birthdate: March 19, 1859
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Laona Township, Illinois, United States
Died: February 10, 1940
Ellen Gates Starr is best remembered for co-establishing the Hull House social settlement in Chicago along with activist Jane Addams. Initially an art student, she later dedicated her life for the betterment of immigrant factory workers and reformation for child labor laws. She later retired to a Roman Catholic convent.
Birthdate: August 2, 1870
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oerlinghausen, Germany
Died: March 12, 1954
Birthdate: November 27, 1875
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: December 19, 1941
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Gail Omvedt(She was a prolific writer and published numerous books on the anti-caste movement)
Birthdate: August 2, 1941
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Died: August 25, 2021
Birthdate: June 8, 1903
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Died: October 6, 1996
Birthdate: September 24, 1922
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 3, 2009
Birthdate: September 18, 1921
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
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Pınar Selek(Sociologist, Feminist & Author Known For Her Work on the Rights of Vulnerable Communities in Turkey)
Birthdate: October 8, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: İstanbul, Turkey
Birthdate: March 17, 1896
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: La Grange, Illinois, United States
Died: January 30, 1982
Birthdate: January 8, 1954
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: San Francisco de Becerra, Honduras
Birthdate: August 10, 1942
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tunisia
Birthdate: January 13, 1951
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Unknown
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Dessima Williams(Grenadian diplomat and former Ambassador to the United Nations from Grenada)
Birthdate: December 4, 1922
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: July 9, 2014
Birthdate: November 2, 1947
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dakar, Senegal
Birthdate: 1938 AD
Birthplace: Bamako, Mali
Birthdate: December 25, 1906
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Meadville, Missouri, United States
Died: February 24, 1974