In this article, you will find five badass women that made incontrovertible and lasting impacts on our world. They were unafraid of the weight of a patriarchal system that unsuccessfully attempted to push them into the recesses of gender stereotypes and tradition. Be inspired by these women, they pushed the envelope in times that gave them little mercy or understanding in their noble endeavors.

Although times are better than they once were, there is still much to be changed. Gender boundaries and stigmas are not archaic ideas to be looked upon and to be spoken of in the past tense--they are alive and suppressing even in 2015. We can still change the world by pushing ourselves and pushing each other to reach our fullest potentials, no matter our biological gender or gender identification.

So here they are, 5 freakin' badass women:

1. Catherine the Great

Beginning her reign after her husband, King Peter III, died, Catherine the Great ruled over Russia until her death in 1796. During her time on the throne, she rapidly increased Russia's diplomacy, and expanded its territory from the Black Sea to Central Europe. A large proponent of modernization, Westernization, and the Enlightenment, Catherine made reforms to better the education of Russian peasantry and made a lasting impact on lower class society at the time.

2. Harriet Beecher Stowe

The author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Stowe played a huge role in shedding light on the horrors of slavery that were not apparent to many Americans in the 19th century. An abolitionist, Calvinist, and philanthropist, she dedicated her life to the promotion of human rights - especially those of African-American slaves. "I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw, because as a Christian I felt the dishonor to Christianity – because as a lover of my country, I trembled at the coming day of wrath."

3. Florence Nightingale

A pioneer in the field of professional nursing, Florence Nightingale was aptly nicknamed, "The Lady with the Lamp" for her belief in caring for patients' basic needs, such as warmth, proper nutrition, and keeping of high spirits. She found that the then traditional methods of medical care such as bloodletting and administering the infusion of mercury, arsenic, and other harmful substances actually killed more patients than it healed. Also a humanitarian, Nightingale accepted the position of Superintendent of Nurses at a hospital in London, on the strict condition that they admit patients of all religions. Nightingale was a military nurse in the Crimean War and advised in the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War.

4. Susan B. Anthony

One of the driving forces of the women's suffrage movement, Anthony stood for, not only women's rights, but the rights of all human beings. As a practicing Quaker, Anthony was raised under the religion's belief that women are equal to men, giving her confidence and drive to share her opinions with the world without the instilled fear of retribution from males, even though the movement spurred much negativity from not only men, but also some traditionally-minded women. In 1838, she joined the Daughters of Temperance, which focused on the dangers of alcohol and its negative effect on families, and campaigned for stronger liquor laws

5. Harriet Tubman

An abolitionist, Union-supporter, and humanitarian, Harriet Tubman was revolutionary in her actions and accomplishments. Without a doubt, however, her greatest achievement was her bravery in transporting around 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Never having "lost" a passenger, Tubman found due pride in the salvation of so many slaves' lives. She was an integral part of the abolitionist effort to end slavery and create a nation in which all human beings can find equality and peace - no matter their race or religion.

These 5 badass women were all suppressed by a society that deemed them unworthy of the full glory they deserved, based on their gender. Although the strict patriarchal society from which they came is not identical to ours, the limits we, as a world community, place on gender are crippling in many ways. Be it job opportunity or body image, there is still much to be changed.

It is important to recognize that as equal human beings, not binary men or women, we can affect the change that we want to see in our world. Gender should not be a barrier - it most certainly was not for the badass women above.