In Indian Society, status of women is equal to goddess. Indian women are creating history and achieving new goals.
The list is composed of all those human explorations and adventures, expeditions, discoveries and inventions which were made first time in the history of India.
Women Scientist in India
E K Janaki Ammal (1897-1984)
D.Sc. (1931, Michigan), Founder Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Winner of Padmashri Award.
Was a renowned botanist and plant cytologist who made significant contributions to genetics, evolution, phytogeography and ethnobotany.
B Vijayalakshmi (1952-1985)
Ph.D (1982, Madras). For her research she studied relativistic wave equations and their proportions.
She passed away on 12th May 1985 at the age of 33 due to cancer.
She had 11 papers to her credit in international journals
A Chatterjee (1917-2006)
First woman D.Sc. (1944, Calcutta), FASc, FNA, Khaira Professor of Chemistry, Calcutta University.
Recipient of the Padma Bhushan. The numerous awards she won include S S Bhatnagar award, C V Raman award of the UGC, P C Ray award, Sisir K Mitra Lectureship and Dr G P Chatterjee Lectureship.
First lady president of the Indian Science Congress, member of Rajya Sabha. Her area of interest was natural products with special reference to the medicinal chemistry.
Anandibai Joshi (1865-1887)
Medicine (1885, Philadelphia), Anandibai Joshi, the first Hindu woman to obtain a medical degree in the Western hemisphere, was born Yamuna Joshi on March 31, 1865 in Poona, India.
She was the first lady to complete medical eduacation in the USA. She died in Poona at an early age of 22.
Iravati Karve (1905-1970)
Ph.D. (1930, Berlin). This renowned anthropologist was the Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Deccan College.
Her writings include the highly acclaimed book ‘Yuganta’ which won the Sahitya Academy Award.
Anna Mani (1918-2001)
FASc, FNA, Ph.D. (submitted 1945, Madras).
The only woman scientist to work with C.V. Raman, is well known for her work in atmospheric physics and instrumentation.
Kamal Ranadive (1917-2001)
Ph.D. (1949, Bombay), FNA.
This recipient of the Padmabhushan established the first tissue culture laboratory in India at the Indian Cancer Research Centre (presently Cancer Research Institute).
List of First Women in India
| S.No. | Field | Name of Female Personality | Year | Birth Place |
| 1 | First & Last Muslim Woman Ruler of Delhi | Razia Sultan | 1236 to 1240 | Delhi |
| 2 | First Indian Woman Doctor | Anandi Gopal Joshi | 1886 | Pune, British India |
| 3 | First Woman President of INC | Annie Besant | 1917 | London, UK |
| 4 | First Indian Woman President of INC | Sarojini Naidu | 1925 | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (Now Telangana) |
| 5 | First Indian Woman Airline Pilot | Sarla Thakral | 1936 | New Delhi |
| 6 | First Indian Woman to swim across English Channel | Arati Saha | 1959 | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| 7 | First Indian woman to get Arjuna Award | Stephie D’Souza | 1963 | Goa |
| 8 | First Indian Woman to become Miss World | Miss Reita Faria | 1966 | British Bombay (Now Mumbai) |
| 9 | First Indian Woman to win Gold in Asian Games | Kamaljeet Sandhu | 1970 | Punjab |
| 10 | First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna | Indira Gandhi | 1971 | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| 11 | First Indian Woman to get Jnanpith Award | Ashapoorna Devi | 1976 | Culcutta (Now Kolkata, West Bengal) |
| 12 | First Indian Woman to get Nobel Prize | Mother Terasa | 1979 | West Germany (Now Macedonia) |
| 13 | First Indian Women to Win Oscar Award | Bhanu Athaiya | 1983 | Kolhapur, British India (Now Maharashtra) |
| 14 | First Indian Woman to Climb Mt Everest | Bachendri Pal | 1984 | Uttrakashi (Now Uttarakand) |
| 15 | First Woman to get Ashok Chakra | Nirja Bhanot | 1987 | Chandigarh, Punjab |
| 16 | First Woman Judge of Supreme Court | Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi | 1989 | Pathanamthitta, Kerala |
| 17 | First Indian Woman to become Miss Universe | Susmita Sen | 1994 | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (Now Telangana) |
| 18 | First Indian Woman to Booker Prize | Arundhati Roy | 1997 | Shillong, Assam (Present Meghalaya) |
| 19 | First Indian Woman to go to Space | Kalpana Chawla | 1997 | Karnal, Punjab (Now Haryana) |
| 20 | First Woman Musician to get Bharat Ratn | MS Subbalakshmi | 1998 | Madurai, Tamilnadu |
| 21 | First Indian Woman to Win Medal in Olymbic | Karnam Malleswari | 2000 | Andhra Pradesh |
| 22 | First Female Flying Officer in the Indian Air Force to be Court-Martialled | Anjali Gupt | 2001 | Delhi |
| 23 | First Indian Woman to Win WTA Title | Sania Mirza | 2004 | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (Now Telangana) |
| 24 | India’s First Woman Governor (Uttar Pradesh) | Sarojini Naidu | 1947 – 1949 | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (Now Telangana) |
| 25 | First Indian Woman Ambassador at UN | Vijalakshmi Pandit | 1947 – 1949 | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| 26 | First Woman Union Minister (Minister of Health) | Rajkumari Amrita Kaur | 1947 – 1957 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| 27 | First Woman Chief Minister of State (Uttar Pradesh) | Sucheta Kripalani | 1963 – 1967 | Ambala, Punjab (Now in Haryana) |
| 28 | India’s First Woman Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi | 1966-1977 | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| 29 | The first woman Ambassador | C.B. Muthumma | 1970 | |
| 30 | India’s First Woman IPS Officer | Kiran Bedi | 1975 | Amritsar, Punjab |
| 31 | First Woman to Receive Jnanpith Award | Ashapurna Devi | 1976 | Kolkata |
| 32 | First Indian Woman Who Reached Antarctica | Mahel Musa | 1977 | — |
| 33 | First Woman Air Vice Marshal | P. Bandopadhyaya | 1978 | Tirupati |
| 34 | First Woman to Receive Ashoka Chakra | Neerja Bhanot | 1987 | Chandigarh |
| 35 | First Woman Chief Justice of a High Court | Mrs. Leela Seth | 1991 | Lucknow |
| 36 | First Indian Woman to Climb Mt Everest twice | Santhosh Yadhav | 1992, 1993 | Haryana |
| 37 | First woman Pilot in Indian Air Force | Harita Kaur Deol | 1994 | Chandigarh |
| 38 | The First Miss Universe | Sushmita Sen | 1994 | Hyderabad |
| 39 | First Woman Lieutenant General | Puneeta Arora | 2005 | Lahore, Pakistan |
| 40 | First Woman chairperson of Indian Airlines | Sushma Chawla | 2005 | Lahore, Pakistan |
| 41 | First Woman Officer to Win a Sena Medal for Gallantry | Mitali Madhumita | 2011 | — |
| 42 | India’s First Woman President | Pratiba Patil | 2007 – 2012 | Maharashtra |
| 43 | First Female Indian Metro Pilot | Priyanka N. | 2011 | Bengaluru |
| 44 | First Indian Woman Mountaineer to Scale the Seven Continental Peaks | Premlata Aggarwal | 2008-2013 | Darjeeling, West Bengal |
| 45 | First Twins Ever to Conquer Mount Everest Together | Tashi and Nancy Malik | 2013 | Haryana |
| 46 | First transgender woman to be a police officer in India (Dharmapuri) | K Prithika Yashini | 2017 | Dharmapuri, Tamilnadu |
| 47 | First Indian Women to Win a medal in Badminton at 2012 Olympic Games. | Saina Nehwal | 2012 | Hisar, Haryana |
| 48 | First Indian Woman to Secure No. 1 position in World Rankings | Saina Nehwal | 2015 | Hisar, Haryana |
| 49 | First Indian Woman Who Become an Individual Member of International Olympic Committee | Nita Ambani | 2016 | Mumbai |
| 50 | First medal (Silver) in Paralympics Games in Summer Para-olympics 2016 | Deepa Malik | 2016 | Sonepat |
| 51 | First Indian Woman to be Elected as Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) | Dr. Neeru Chadha | 2017 | Delhi |
| 52 | First Female Combat Officer Commissioned by the Border Security Force (BSF) | Tanushree Pareek | 2017 | Bikaner |
| 53 | First Indian Woman to Win a Shooting Gold in the Asian Games | Rahi Sarnobat | 2018 | Kolhapur |
| 54 | First Indian Woman Win a Gold in the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships | Hima Das | 2018 | Dhing |
| 55 | First female Amputee to Climb Mount Vinson, the Highest Peak of Antarctica | Arunima Sinha | 2019 | Lucknow |
| 56 | Youngest Indian Woman to win Ladies European Tour (LET) | Diksha Dagar | 2019 | Jhajjar |
| 57 | First Indian female golfer to win the Ladies European Tour | Aditi Ashok | 2019 | Bengaluru |
| 58 | First Female to Lead the Army’s Daredevils Motorcycle Display Team for the First Time | Captain Shikha Surabhi | 2019 | Arrah, Bihar |
| 59 | First Female to Lead the Indian Army’s Service Corps (ASC) Contingent | Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi | 2019 | Hyderabad |
| 60 | First female Officer to Lead a Contingent On the Army Day Parade | Captain Divya Ajith | 2019 | Chennai |
| 61 | First Women Cricketer Scored a Century In T20 | Harmanpreet Kaur | 2019 | Moga |
| 62 | First Indian Woman Flight Engineer | Hina Jaiswal | 2019 | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, |
| 63 | First Indian Woman to Receive Future of Nature Award for Marine Conservation | Divya Karnad | 2019 | Nashik |
| 64 | First Indian Woman to be Elected Royal Society Fellow | Gagandeep Kang | 2019 | Shimla |
| 65 | India’s First Woman Defence Minister | Nirmala Sitharaman | 2019 | Madurai |
| 66 | First Indian Woman to Cross the Atlantic Ocean Solo in a Light Sport Aircraft | Arohi Pandit | 2019 | Gujarat |
| 67 | First Female National Umpire to Officiate in the T20 Contest | Vrinda Rathi | 2019 | Uttar Pradesh |
| 68 | First Ever Woman to be Appointed to the ICC International Panel of Match Referees | GS Lakshmi | 2019 | Rajahmundry |
| 69 | India’s First Full-time Woman Finance Minister | Nirmala Sitharaman | 2019 | Madurai |