First Women in India

Indira Gandhi became India's first woman Prime Minister in 1966 and served three terms. She is also the only woman to have held this office.

Sarojini Naidu was appointed the first woman Governor of an Indian state — the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) — in 1947 after independence.

Sucheta Kriplani became the first woman Chief Minister of India when she was elected CM of Uttar Pradesh in October 1963, serving until 1967.

Karnam Malleswari won a Bronze medal in weightlifting at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Kiran Bedi became the first woman IPS (Indian Police Service) officer in 1972. She later became the first woman to head the UN Civil Police Adviser position in 2003.

Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest on May 23, 1984. She was also the fifth woman in the world to climb Everest.

Indira Gandhi received the Bharat Ratna in 1971, making her the first woman to receive India's highest civilian honour. She was also the then-serving Prime Minister.

Meira Kumar became the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2009. She served as the 15th Speaker during the 15th Lok Sabha (2009–2014).

Justice Fathima Beevi was appointed as the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India in 1989. She later served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Reita Faria won the Miss World title in 1966, becoming the first Indian and first Asian to win the Miss World pageant. She later became a medical doctor.

Anandibai Joshi became the first Indian woman to obtain a degree in Western medicine in 1887, graduating from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, USA.

Leila Seth became the first woman Chief Justice of a High Court in India when she was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 1991.

Amrita Pritam received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956 for her Punjabi novel 'Pinjar', making her the first woman recipient of this prestigious literary award.

Kalpana Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space in 1997 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-87 mission). She tragically died in the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Annie Besant became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1917. Sarojini Naidu later became the first Indian woman to hold this position in 1925.

Anna George Malhotra (formerly Anna Rajam George) became the first woman IAS officer of India in 1951 from the Kerala cadre. She later served as the first woman Member of the Union Public Service Commission.

Nirmala Sitharaman became the first full-time woman Finance Minister of India in 2019. Indira Gandhi had held the finance portfolio briefly in 1970 but as an additional charge.

Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya became the first woman DGP in India when she was appointed DGP of Uttarakhand in 2004. She was also the first woman to reach the rank of DGP in India.

Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe title in 1994, becoming the first Indian woman to win this crown. Lara Dutta won it later in 2000, and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021.