Who is the Greatest Female Role Model of the 21st Century?

A substantial amount of my life was spent in the belief that young girls are not supposed to question the prejudiced beliefs of the society they reside in. I assumed it as a fact that the world was only run by older people, who were more robust than I could ever be, that it was unethical of me to speak out against whatever I believed to be unjust.

Malala Yousafzai – Outspoken Advocate of Female Rights

     This belief of mine was challenged when I first heard of the fifteen-year-old sensation, Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education. She is a native of Swat Valley. Malala stood firm to defend the rights of girls’ education, even when the Taliban of her locality had banned girls from attending school. Since her early years, she was a glimmer of hope for her community. Her age never stopped her to voice her beliefs and advocacy for women’s rights. She was just 11 years old when she penned down a blog on BBC Urdu providing a glimpse of her life under Taliban control in Swat, Pakistan. Soon, she gained prominence worldwide and gave numerous interviews on television and in papers. Her public outline grew even further when she was awarded Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize in December.
     The amount of strength with which she held these convictions elevated her position in the eyes of many and encouraged the sentiments of many people, both within and outside of her community regarding women rights. Malala was met with extensive backlash and criticism by her locality. Her motives seemed apprehensive to them, thus she was often targeted. In October 2012, Malala became subjected to a murder attempt. The shooter fled from the crime scene, but Malala was shot in the head and was in a very critical condition. Miraculously her condition improved and she was transferred from Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK. Even this threat to her life failed to be a barrier to her advocacy and did not waiver her determination of upholding human rights. Malala continues to work for this greater cause. Also, the attempt activated support for Malala from all over the world. Her commitment throughout the drive depicts just how keen she was on making the world a better place to live in.
     She is now an eminent activist and is also the co-founder of Malala Fund, a non-profitable organization. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and remains to be the youngest laureate to receive it. Yousafzai graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, in 2020.
Malala Yousafzai proves that age is just a number; young girls still have the ability and authority to make independent decisions and call out what they believe to be wrong. She taught us that we all can positively shape the world only if we are committed enough.