This Designer’s Beautiful Illustrations Celebrate Women Who Changed The World

It’s a statistic that’s impossible to ignore: Nearly half of the U.S. workforce is comprised of women, yet only 26% are in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. What’s worse is the number of women who are actually in STEM careers is dropping due to a lack of promotions and staid gender roles that compromise a work/life balance.

However, there have been notable efforts to bolster such dismal statistics, through tech and coding initiatives, shaking up the “pink aisle” in toy stores, and even through art.

Graphic designer and illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky’s Women in Science series shines a spotlight on female pioneers in STEM with beautifully designed illustrations.

Ignotofsky is aiming for 50 illustrations; the seven she’s completed feature paleontologist Mary Anning, ophthalmologist Patricia Bath, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, physicist Marie Curie, computer scientist Grace Hopper, primatologist Jane Goodall, and chemist Rosalind Franklin.

“A lot of these women are not very well known, even though their accomplishments have changed our world forever,” Ignotofsky explains in an Instagram blog post. “I want my illustrations to help spark an interest in learning more about these women. I want young girls and boys to see that no matter who they are, despite their gender, they can accomplish anything.”

You can buy prints here.