Struggling to focus on the positives this International Women’s Day? Granted, 2020 hasn’t got off to the best of starts (and, yes, we know it’s only March) but in the spirit of 2020’s theme, #EachforEqual, we think it’s important to celebrate the individual achievements – or as the IWD 2020 campaign calls it, the “collective Individualism” – that reminds us of how far we’ve come. And, simultaneously, how far we still have left to go.

Who could forget Serena Williams’ extraordinary return to the Wimbledon Championships just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, following a traumatic labour that threatened her life in 2017? Or what about Greta Thunberg: the David against the Goliath of climate change denial?

The world may seem overwhelming right now, but to keep that wave of inspiration going, we’ve rounded up seven remarkable women who defied the odds - sexism, poverty, illness and injustice - to make history.

7 remarkable women who defied the odds to make history