There is a saying that says, "Behind every good man is a woman." While some people might not believe this to be completely true no one can deny that there have been important females throughout the course of history. While you may not have seen many of them in power positions (half a century ago you wouldn't have even seen them in charge of company) thousands still managed to make their mark. Today we are seeing powerful women throughout the business and political world and are getting closer and closer to being on even footing with men. Here are some of the major events that women were part of before they were leaving their home to get to work on time.

While there were women who pushed the boundaries from the beginning of time, the gender as a whole did not gain any significant ground anywhere in the Western world until the middle of the 19th century. The single women were the second to be allowed to vote in local elections in 1969. Some women in Sweden were permitted to vote as early as 1862 but this was not as wide spread. By the end of the 1890s all women throughout the United Kingdom and Australia were given voting rights in at least local elections.

This started a chain reaction throughout Europe and by the beginning of the 20th century it spread across the ocean to North America. With the exception of those living in Quebec, women in Canada were given the same rights by the end of 1918. Within the next two years they were given the opportunity to run for certain positions within office. In 1929 females were labeled as "persons" and were given equal rights to run for Senate. This was a huge step on the way to working in offices in higher income positions and entering higher political positions. Women in Quebec were not allowed to vote until 1940.

Women have been in the workplace since the beginning but the jobs that they were encouraged and allowed to perform were often limited and below those of men. For North America, this largely changed during the First and Second World Wars when the men were sent overseas and company owners were required to hire women to fill all of their positions. Once WWII was over in 1945 several women chose not to return to being a housewife and the economic climate started to change. While they were not yet making enough money to afford homes all on their own there were many women making a good salary and some that were working their way up in major corporations.

Today, statistics say that women are still not making the same amount as men in the workplace and that more women are choosing to stay at home to raise children then men. While this may be true for now we are certainly moving towards an equal future.