100 Women (BBC)

100 Women was a month-long BBC series that took place in October 2013. The series examined the role of women in the 21st century and culminated in an event held at BBC Broadcasting House in London, United Kingdom on 25 October 2013 involving a hundred women from around the world, all of whom came from different walks of life. The day featured debate and discussion on radio, television and online, in which the participants were asked to give their opinions about the issues facing women.

Motivation

After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, BBC editor Fiona Crack and other journalists were inspired to create a series focusing on the issues and achievements of women in society today. BBC launched this series in October 2013 and programming ran over the course of the month, eventually culminating in a conference held on 25 October.

The series covered many topics, including education, healthcare, equal pay, genital mutilation, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. In particular, BBC wanted its audience to reflect on these questions:

• How are women faring in the 21st Century economy where you live?
• Will women take on a bigger role in politics and business? Or is there a "global glass ceiling"?
• Are the demands of motherhood and family life destined to hold back the tide of progress?
• Speaking of progress, what about feminism? Does it still have a role?
• Does religion empower women, or keep their rights in check?
• What do you see as the biggest risks women face? What about the biggest opportunities?
• And - of course - what about the media? How are we doing? Do we misrepresent women? Do we tell their stories properly?

Participants

2014

Name	Occupation	Position
SDr Yasmin Altwaijri	Saudi mental health and obesity scientist	Top Row
Conchita Wurst	SSinger, Austria	Top Row
Laura Bates	Founder, Everyday Sexism project @EverydaySexism	Top Row
Pinky Lilani	Founder, Asian Women of Achievement Awards @pinkylilani	Top Row
Ruby Chakravarti	Women's rights campaigner, India	Top Row
Susie Orbach	Psychotherapist @psychoanalysis	Top Row
Pontso Mafethe	Zimbabwean women's programme manager, Comic Relief@pontso_mafethe	Top Row
Kate Shand	Managing director of Enjoy Education @EnjoyEducation	Top Row
Shappi Khorsandi	Iranian-born British comedian @ShappiKhorsandi	Top Row
Shazia Saleem	Founder ieat Foods @shaziafsaleem	Top Row
Wai Wai Nu	Director,Women Peace Net @WaiWaiNu	Second Row
Michaela Bergman	Chief Counsellor for Social Issues, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	Second Row
Paula Moreno	Founder of peace foundation Manos Visibles @ManosVisibles	Second Row
Rubana Huq	Bangladeshi textile manufacturer @Rubanahuq	Second Row
Lucy-Anne Holmes	Founder, No More Page Three campaign, UK @LucyAnneHolmes	Second Row
Brianna Stubbs	Rower for Great Britain @BriannaStubbs	Second Row
Matilda Tristam	Comics writer @Colonoclast	Second Row
Nigar Nazar	Pakistani cartoonist@NigarNazar	Second Row
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy	Pakistani documentary film-maker @sharmeenochinoy	Second Row
Uldus Bakhtiozina	Russian photographer @Y_Bakhtiozina	Second Row
Prof Lesley	Yellowlees First female president, Royal Chemistry Society	Third Row
Rebecca Gomperts	Founder, Women on Waves @rebeccagomperts	Third Row
Dr Katherine	Brown Academic, Kings College London	Third Row
Emily Kasyoka	Boxer, Kenya	Third Row
Aowen Jin	Chinese-born British artist @aowenjin	Third Row
Eliza Rebeiro	Founder of Lives not Knives @livesnotknives	Third Row
Muge Iplikci	Turkish journalist	Third Row
Natumanya Sarah	Educator @NatumanyaSarah	Third Row
Linda Tirado	Campaigner @KillerMartinis	Third Row
Alice Hagan	Technician at healthcare company BTG @alicehagan	Third Row
May Tha Hla	Burmese food aid social worker	Fourth Row
Rainatou Sow	Founder of Make Every Woman Count	Fourth Row
Justa Canaviri	Celebrity chef, Bolivia	Fourth Row
Heather Jackson	Women's business campaigner @jackson_heather	Fourth Row
Ruby Wax	Mental health campaigner and comic @Rubywax	Fourth Row
Umm Ahmed	Sole provider for her family, Iraq	Fourth Row
Xiaolu Guo	Chinese novelist and film-maker	Fourth Row
Hind Hobeika	Founder of Instabeat, Lebanon	Fourth Row
Molly Case	Student nurse and Women of the Future Ambassador @RI_Macey	Fourth Row
Dr Joyce Banda	Former president of Malawi	Fourth Row
Saadia Zahidi	World Economic Forum @zahidi	Fifth Row
Aditi Mittal	Indian stand-up comedian @awryaditi	Fifth Row
Jess Butcher	Co-founder of Blippar @jessbutcher	Fifth Row
Farah Mohamed	Girls 20 summit founder @FarahMohamed007	Fifth Row
Katy Tuncer	Founder, Ready Steady Mums @KatyTuncer	Fifth Row
Smruti Sriram	Founder, Wings of Hope & Achievement Awards @Smruti_Sriram	Fifth Row
Darshan Karki	Opinion-piece editor at Kathmandu Post daily, Nepal blogger @drshn_	Fifth Row
Brooke Magnanti	US anthropologist, author, former sex worker @bmagnanti	Fifth Row
Chipo Chung	Chinese-Zimbabwean actor and activist @chipochung	Fifth Row
Pinar Ogunc	Journalist writing about women's issues and the Kurdish political movement @pinarbihter	Fifth Row
Sabina Kurgunayeva	Footballer who also runs her own bicycle rental business in Azerbaijan	Sixth Row
Kate Wilson	Founder of independent children's book publisher in UK @NosyCrow	Sixth Row
Betty Lalam	Director of women's community organisation, Northern Uganda	Sixth Row
Arabella Dorman	War artist	Sixth Row
Andy Kawa	Businesswoman and social entrepreneur @KwaneleEnuf	Sixth Row
Bahia Shehab	Egyptian artist, designer and art historian	Sixth Row
Divya Sharma	Indian science student @SharmaDivya23	Sixth Row
Jocelyn Bell Burnell	Scientist who discovered Pulsars	Sixth Row
Eleni Antoniadou	Co-Founder Transplants Without Donors @eleni_nasa	Sixth Row
Shelina Zahara Janmohammed	Blogger, columnist and author @loveinheadscarf	Sixth Row
Salinee Tavaranan	Thai engineer and social entrepreneur	Seventh Row
Hatoon Kadi	Saudi Arabian comedian @HatoonKadi	Seventh Row
Brie Rogers Lowery	UK Director of Change.org @brie_rl	Seventh Row
Balvinder Saund	Chair of Women's Sikh Alliance, UK	Seventh Row
Cora Sherlock	Pro-life campaigner and blogger in Ireland @CoraSherlock	Seventh Row
Alaa Murabit	Founder, The Voice of Libyan Women @almmura	Seventh Row
Bushra El-Turk	British-Lebanese composer for London Symphony Orchestra @bushraelturk	Seventh Row
Kim Winser	Founder, Winser London	Seventh Row
Arzu Geybullayeva	blogger @arzugeybulla	Seventh Row
Judith Webb	First female commander of an all-male British Army squadron@sjbwebb	Seventh Row
Sarah Hesterman	Equal rights campaigner in Qatar	Eighth Row
Sana Saleem	Pakistani campaigner against Internet censorship @sanasaleem	Eighth Row
Asma Mansour	Co-founder of Tunisian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship @mansour_asma	Eighth Row
Diana Nammi	Kurdish women's rights campaigner against "honour" killing	Eighth Row
Funmi Iyanda	Talk show host, journalist, activist in Nigeria @Funmilola	Eighth Row
Karen Masters	Scientist at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation @KarenLMasters	Eighth Row
Khuloud Saba	Syrian researcher and public health worker @KhuloudSaba	Eighth Row
Yolanda Wang Yixuan	Women's rights campaigner in China	Eighth Row
Ayesha Mustafa	Founder and director of FashionComPassion.co.uk	Eighth Row
Obiageli Ezekwesili	Former World Bank Vice President for Africa and Former Minister for Education, Nigeria @obyezeks	Eighth Row
Tehmina Kazi	Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy	Ninth Row
Sophi Tranchell	Head of Divine Chocolate @divinechocolate	Ninth Row
Boghuma Kabisen Titanji	Virologist and campaigner for ethical medical research in Cameroon @Boghuma	Ninth Row
Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah	Women's movement leader in Indonesia	Ninth Row
Anjali Ramachandran	Head of Innovation at PHD @anjali28	Ninth Row
Yas Necati	Campaigner for better sex education @YasNecati	Ninth Row
Yeonmi Park	Activist raising awareness of the plight of her people in North Korea@YeonmiParkNK	Ninth Row
Irene Li	Citizen journalist who took part in and documented protests in Hong Kong	Ninth Row
Sandee Pyne	Chief executive of Community Partner's International, focused on aid in Myanmar	Ninth Row
Temie Giwa	Founder of the One Percent Project, facilitating blood donation in Nigeria @temite	Ninth Row
Kavita Krishnan	Secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association @kavita_krishnan	Tenth Row
Sarah Khan	Pakistani filmmaker and campaigner	Tenth Row
Nicky Moffat	Highest Ranked woman in British Armed Forces	Tenth Row
Alice Powell	Racing driver and first female to win a Formula Renault Championship @alicepowell	Tenth Row
Misty Haith	Research Engineer at Imperial College London	Tenth Row
Sally Sabry	Businesswoman in Egypt	Tenth Row
Kate Smurthwaite	British comedian and activist @Cruella1	Tenth Row
Susana Lopez	Mexican virologist specialising in rotavirus	Tenth Row
Jaya Luintel	Journalist and women's rights advocate from Nepal	Tenth Row
Nicola Sturgeon	First Minister of Scotland @NicolaSturgeon	Tenth Row

The event held on 25 October 2013 featured 100 women from all walks of life

Name	Occupation	Position
Salwa Abu Libdeh	Palestinian TV Journalist	Top Row
Madawi Al-Rasheed	Saudi academic and gender expert	Top Row
Nadia Al-Sakkaf	Editor, Yemen Times	Top Row
Sreymom Ang	Cambodian fashion designer	Top Row
Anna Arrowsmith	English porn film director	Top Row
Joyce Aoko Aruga	Student teacher in Kenya	Top Row
Moe Thuzar Aung	Deputy Director, Myanmar state broadcast	Top Row
Rehana Azib	London-based barrister	Top Row
Firuza Aliyeva	Associate Director, Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy	Top Row
Zainab Hawa Bangura	UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict	Top Row
Michaela Bergman	Chief Counsellor for Social Issues, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	Second Row
Claire Bertschinger	Anglo-Swiss nurse whose work inspired Live Aid	Second Row
Ingrid Betancourt	French-Colombian former politician and FARC hostage	Second Row
Cherie Blair	British barrister and philanthropist	Second Row
Emma Bonino	Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy	Second Row
Yvonne Brewster	Stage director, teacher and writer	Second Row
Gurinder Chadha	British-Asian film director	Second Row
Nervana Mahmoud	Egyptian blogger and commentator	Second Row
Irina Chakraborty	Russian-Finnish-Indian engineer	Second Row
Shadi Sadr	Iranian lawyer and human rights defender	Second Row
Chipo Chung	Chinese-Zimbabwean actor and activist	Third Row
Helen Clark	Head of UN Development Programme, former New Zealand Prime Minister	Third Row
Diane Coyle	Economist, writer and blogger	Third Row
Caroline Criado-Perez	British journalist and feminist campaigner	Third Row
Jody Day	founder of Gateway Women, a network for childless women	Third Row
Es Devlin	British theatre designer	Third Row
Klara Dobrev	Hungarian lawyer and economist	Third Row
Efua Dorkenoo	Ghanan Senior Advisor to Equality Now and campaigner against female genital mutilation	Third Row
Sigridur Maria Egilsdottir	Iceland's champion debater	Third Row
Marwa El-Daly	Egyptian grassroots activists, founder of the Waqfeyat Foundation	Third Row
Bushra El-Turk	British-Lebanese composer	Fourth Row
Obiageli Ezekwesili	Senior adviser, Open Society Foundation	Fourth Row
Caroline Farrow	Catholic writer, blogger and pro-life activist	Fourth Row
Anne Stella Fomumbod	Women's rights activist, Cameroon	Fourth Row
Teresa Forcades	Radical Spanish nun	Fourth Row
Razan Ghazzawi	Syrian blogger and activist	Fourth Row
Rebecca Gomperts	Dutch doctor, head of Women on Waves	Fourth Row
Tanni Grey-Thompson	Winner of 11 Paralympic Games gold medals	Fourth Row
Parveen Hassan	Conservative women's organiser, UK	Fourth Row
Barbara Hewson	Senior barrister, UK	Fourth Row
Anis Hidayah	Indonesian activist working on migrant worker rights	Fifth Row
Deborah Hopkins	British mother and political activist	Fifth Row
Rose Hudson-Wilkin	Jamaican born British priest	Fifth Row
Bettany Hughes	Historian, author, broadcaster	Fifth Row
Rubana Huq	Bangladeshi textile manufacturer	Fifth Row
Leyla Hussein	Co-founder, Daughters of Eve, anti-violence campaigner	Fifth Row
Heather Jackson	CEO of An Inspirational Journey and Founder of The Women's Business Forum	Fifth Row
Shelina Zahara Janmohammed	Blogger, columnist and author	Fifth Row
Laura Janner-Klausner	Movement rabbi, specializing in Reform Judaism	Fifth Row
Aowen Jin	Chinese contemporary artist	Fifth Row
Andy Kawa	South African businesswoman, anti-violence campaigner	Sixth Row
Tehmina Kazi	Director, British Muslims for a Secular Democracy	Sixth Row
Jude Kelly	Artistic Director, Southbank Centre	Sixth Row
Fereshteh Khosroujerdy	Visually impaired Iranian singer	Sixth Row
Azadeh Kian	Iranian academic and genderspecialist	Sixth Row
Kanya King	CEO and founder, Mobo	Sixth Row
Fawzia Koofi	MP and former Deputy Speaker, Afghan National Parliament	Sixth Row
Dina Korzun	Russian actor and charity activist	Sixth Row
Martha Lane-Fox	UK technology entrepreneur	Sixth Row
Paris Lees	Transgender broadcaster	Sixth Row
Ann Leslie	Journalist	Seventh Row
Sian Lindley	Researcher in social technology	Seventh Row
Pontso Mafethe	Programme manager, Comic Relief	Seventh Row
Brooke Magnanti	US anthropologist, author, former sex worker	Seventh Row
Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba	Deputy Secretary General, the Commonwealth	Seventh Row
Shirley Meredeen	Founding member, Growing Old Disgracefully	Seventh Row
Samar Samir Mezghanni	Record-breaking young Tunisian writer	Seventh Row
Shazia Mirza	British comedian	Seventh Row
Aditi Mittal	Indian comedian	Seventh Row
Rosmery Mollo	Indigenous Bolivian activist	Seventh Row
Orzala Ashraf Nemat	Afghan scholar and civil society activist	Eighth Row
Pauline Neville-Jones	Former UK Security and Counter-Terrorism Minister	Eighth Row
Susie Orbach	Psychotherapist and author	Eighth Row
Mirina Paananen	Islamic researcher	Eighth Row
Claudia Paz y Paz	Attorney General, Guatemala	Eighth Row
Mariane Pearl	French journalist, founder of Chime for Change	Eighth Row
Laura Perrins	Stay-at-home mother	Eighth Row
Charlotte Raven	British feminist and journalist	Eighth Row
Gail Rebuck	Chief executive, Random House UK	Eighth Row
Justine Roberts	Founder, Mumsnet	Eighth Row
Sarah Rogers	Voice of Women community radio, Sierra Leone	Ninth Row
Fatima Said	British-Egyptian pro-democracy advocate	Ninth Row
Balvinder Saund	Chair of Sikh Women's Alliance	Ninth Row
Kamila Shamsie	UK-based Pakistani writer	Ninth Row
Divya Sharma	Indian electronics and communications engineer	Ninth Row
Bahia Shehab	Lebanese-Egyptian artist, designer and art historian	Ninth Row
Joanna Shields	Chair and CEO, Tech City Investment Organisation	Ninth Row
Stephanie Shirley	Businesswoman and philanthropist	Ninth Row
Clare Short	British politician, former International Development Secretary	Ninth Row
Jacqui Smith	Former UK Home Secretary	Ninth Row
Kate Smurthwaite	British stand-up comedian and activist	Tenth Row
Rainatou Sow	Guinean founder, Make Every Woman Count	Tenth Row
Louise Stephenson	Trainee counsellor, UK	Tenth Row
May Tha Hla	Founder, Helping The Burmese Delta	Tenth Row
Natasha Walter	British feminist writer and campaigne	Tenth Row
Judith Webb	First female commander of all-male British Army squadron	Tenth Row
Saadia Zahidi	Head of Gender Parity and Human Capital, World Economic Forum	Tenth Row
Dinara Zhorobekova	Student, Kyrgyzstan	Tenth Row
Gemma Godfrey	Board director, broadcaster, quantum physicist	Tenth Row
Martina Navratilova	18-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion	Tenth Row

Other participants

Name	Occupation
Sarah Walker	Head of the English Collective of Prostitutes
Cerrie Burnell	Children's TV presenter
Selma James	Writer and activist

External links

• 100 Women at BBC Online