The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2022.
BBC 100 Women celebrates the achievements of women internationally, from grassroots volunteers to global leaders.
The announcement of the list kicks off BBC’s 100 Women 2022 season – focusing on women’s experiences around the world with a week of special interviews, documentaries, features and digital content across the BBC platforms globally.
Notable names on the BBC 100 Women list include global music phenomenon Billie Eilish, actress and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree, social worker and burn survivor Sneha Jawale, aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla, and actress and disability activist Selma Blair.
From sport, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekab who recently made waves in her home country for competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, is also on the list, as well as Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur who became the first Arab or African woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era.
From the world of politics, Ursula von der Leyen - the first female President of the European Commission, Mia Mottley - the first female prime minister of Barbados and Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, also make the list.
For the first time this year, the BBC has asked some of the previous 100 Women to nominate women they feel deserve a place on the 2022 list.
South Korean film producer and cultural leader Miky Lee was highlighted by last year’s nominee Rebel Wilson, while Malala Yousafzai nominated Alice Pataxó, a climate campaigner, journalist and influencer from Brazil.
It’s a special year for BBC 100 Women as it celebrates its tenth season, as well as the 90th anniversary of the BBC World Service and the centenary of the BBC. As such, the theme for 100 Women 2022 is progress – and the season will take the opportunity to look back at what’s changed over the past decade, as well as highlighting the inspiring women who have made a difference.
Women have been at the heart of conflict around the world in 2022 which will be reflected in this year’s nominees – from those bravely demanding change in Iran, to the female face of resistance in Ukraine and Russia.
The full list for BBC 100 Women is available here:
BBC.com/100womenTim Davie, BBC Director-General of the BBC, said: “It’s wonderful to see this year’s list of 100 Women, and to be celebrating its tenth season. The women on this year’s list are all remarkable in what they have achieved and contributed to their communities and society, and I am proud that the BBC continues to do vital work by shining a spotlight on them and sharing their stories around the world through our first-class journalism and storytelling.”
Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of BBC World Service, said: “In the tenth year of 100 Women, it is brilliant to see how the annual season has gone from strength to strength. I remember our launch and very first intake of 100 Women - little did we know how much the project would grow.
“I’m delighted to see the women featured on this year’s list. They, like all the women before them, have contributed to our world in incredible ways, and we celebrate this. This is about increasing visibility and giving recognition where it’s due.”
“With this year also being the 90th anniversary of BBC World Service, I am glad that 100 Women continues our commitment to reporting and telling the stories of people’s lives from all over the world.”
BBC 100 Women in Conversation
The BBC 100 women season sees several high-profile names in conversation for a special series of programmes across the BBC.
At the age of 20, Billie Eilish is the first singer born in the 21st century to hit number 1 in the Billboard charts and win an Oscar. She has more than 200 million followers across her social media. We exclusively join her for the last night of her world tour to talk fame, imposter syndrome and identity for BBC 100 women.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has spoken with BBC 100 Women about feminism, the impact of the current war on mental health, and what victory looks like. She also shared deeply personal insights in terms of how she feels finding herself in the role of first lady.
BBC 100 Women have also exclusively spoken with actress
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and disability activist
Selma Blair and Hollywood icon
Rita Moreno.These interviews will be available to watch on BBC World News, and
BBC.com/100womenThis year, BBC 100 Women is also reflecting on the progress made in women’s lives in the decade since a horrific gangrape on a bus in Delhi opened conversations on violence against women. Nirbhaya, the name given by media, case also sparked debates across the world, an increased focus on media reporting on women, and its why the BBC 100 Women was started at the BBC.
The BBC Indian languages websites and social platforms will publish special coverage with video testimonials by survivors of violence including domestic violence, and their families in their quest for justice. An in-depth article that tracks women and men whose lives got inalienably impacted by the 2012 attack and defined their journey in the last decade. These personal stories highlight the wider challenges and gains made in accessing India’s complex justice system, ensuring police accountability, women empowerment and creating support networks including the Delhi gangrape victim’s mother, Asha Devi’s journey in helping other families via the Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust.
Other documentaries and programmes airing in this year’s BBC 100 Women season:
Greenland’s lost generation
Greenland has been rocked by a scandal revealing a Danish campaign to curb its growing Inuit population from the mid-1960s to late 1970s. Now being officially investigated, about 4,500 women had an intrauterine device, commonly known as coil, inserted - often against their will. BBC 100 Women goes to the heart of the scandal, meeting women who’ve begun piecing together reasons behind physical and mental trauma that they’d endured for decades in silence.
Honduras: Inside the abortion pill black market
As the US has tightened its reproductive laws after the Roe v Wade overturn, BBC 100 Women has travelled to Honduras - the world's most restrictive country for female reproductive rights, where even the emergency contraception pill is outlawed - to take a look at the rise in the sale and use of black market ‘abortion pills’.
In a country that has a ban on abortion in every instance, BBC 100 Women meets the women buying the pills, the men profiteering from them, the doctors dealing with the fallout, and the politicians reluctant to make progress.
The rise of the virtual K-pop princess
With the rise of K-pop music globally, there has also been a growing phenomenon of hyper-realistic avatars in girl bands. BBC 100 Women takes a look at the impact of these flawless fantasy women - who are available online 24/7, constantly re-invent themselves and are immune to bullying and internet trolling - on their fans, their bandmates, and the real women behind the virtual stars. What are the repercussions of this new digital trend, idolising singers who are all presented as perfect, slim, ageless?
The women fighting to be priests
There are over a billion Catholics around the world, and women have always played a significant role in the life of the Church - but have been excluded from the Catholic hierarchy. A number of devotees feel called upon to serve God as priests, but the Vatican has never allowed female ordination to priesthood. Now, there's a growing movement to change this. Over 200 women have chosen to take part in secret ordination services, despite knowing they will be excommunicated from the Church. BBC 100 Women follows two women who have been unofficially ordained in the US and Colombia. Is there a future for women priests? And can this change happen in our lifetime?
These documentaries will be available to watch in full on BBC World News from Tuesday 6th December.
