Shackleton outshines women on Icons list

Kildare polar adventurer Ernest Shackleton was voted the greatest explorer of the 20th century via a public vote as part of the BBC series Icons recently.

The Kildare Antarctic pioneer then went up against Nelson Mandela, Alan Turing, Martin Luther King, David Bowie, Muhammed Ali and Pablo Picasso for the title of greatest person of the 20th century.

While he did not take the title — it went to wartime code breaker Alan Turing — he was in very good company.

However, while watching the show with my 11-year-old daughter it became glaringly obvious to us that there were no women in the finals for greatest person of the 20th century.

Neither of us could actually believe that there was not one female represented in the live final line-up.

Granted there had been some women featured prior to the finals such as Jane Goodall, renowned for studying chimps; actress Marilyn Monroe, jazz singer Billie Holiday; scientist Marie Cure and world explorer Gertrude Bell.

But none of these talented women had made it through the public vote for the finals.

My daughter, who coincidentally is studying remarkable women in school could not believe that none were represented in the final.

She listed off a number including pilot, Amelia Earhart, the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and Annie Edson Taylor, who became the first person to survive a trip over Niagra Falls — in a barrel, no less.

In fact, with the public vote of Shackleton as favourite explorer ahead of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, he unwittingly also knocked two of the women, Gertrude Bell and Jane Goodall, out of the running.

During the live show, Clare Balding, who was there to advocate for boxer Muhammad Ali, offered her thoughts on why women weren’t represented in the final. Admitting she was “disappointed but not surprised”, Clare described the 20th century as “the history of men told by men”, adding that women were only just starting to be recognised now.

Her thoughts were that the 20th century largely was the history of men, told by men, and women have started to find their voice and started to find their feet so that if we did this programme again in 50 years’ time, we’d be looking at people like Oprah Winfrey or JK Rowling.

She added that we’d be looking at Madonna or Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. We’d be looking at Serena Williams or Malala or Michelle Obama. She said that there are so many women who have an influence in their sphere and outside it and they’re beginning to have an impact now, but almost the 20th century was too short. We need to be knocking into the 21st.

Alan Turing did, of course, deserve to be celebrated. His wartime efforts likely saved a number of lives and the story of how society viewed his sexuality at the time should never be forgotten.

But neither should the achievements of 20th century women be forgotten either.

With feminism back in the forefront right now, I couldn’t help but wonder if this century will be better for women like my daugther and if they will finally get the recognition they deserve?

The other women finalists included writer Virgina Woolf, tennis champ Billie Jean King, disability rights pioneer Helen Keller, women’s votes campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst, and wheelchair racer Tanni Grey- Thompson.

Ernest Shackleton, who was born in Kilea and he led the famous Endurance expedition to Antarctica in 1914 , was in very good company indeed.