Women in history who never got married

For centuries, marriage was socially expected, and for women it involved giving up many personal rights. Husbands were generally considered their wives' superiors in almost all situations, which required a huge sacrifice of a woman's freedom. Nevertheless, throughout history there have been plenty of successful and groundbreaking women who opted not to get married. 

Luckily, we're past that era, but despite this progress, the world still views women as somehow incomplete if they don't marry. As a reminder that women can live phenomenal lives without marriage, click on and check out the following gallery.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

The patron saint of France, Joan of Arc was a soldier born as a peasant in eastern France. At a young age, she led the army through several important victories during the Hundred Years' War.

Coco Chanel (1883-1971)

The legendary designer changed the face of fashion forever. She's also the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's most influential people of the 20th-century list.

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, whom he beheaded, there was much dispute over who Henry's rightful heir was. When Elizabeth was finally crowned queen at the age of 25, she went on to reign for 44 years.

Oprah Winfrey

While the media mogul has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986, she has actually never been legally married.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

Best known for writing 'Little Women' (1868), she once explained her reason for not marrying as being because: "I am more than half-persuaded that I am a man's soul put by some freak of nature into a woman's body ... because I have fallen in love with so many pretty girls and never once the least bit with any man."

Diane Keaton

While she has starred in several famous romantic comedies, Diane Keaton hasn't opted for marriage in real life.

Clara Barton (1821-1912)

Clara Barton was another notable nurse who opted not to marry. Also a teacher and a humanitarian, she founded the American Red Cross.

Condoleeza Rice

Rice was the first ever African-American female Secretary of State, and the second African-American Secretary of State. When asked why she had never married, she answered that "the fact is I’ve never found anybody that I want to spend my life with."

Janet Reno (1938-2016)

Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Janet Reno became the first female Attorney General. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving Attorney General behind only William Wirt (1817-1829).

Shonda Rhimes

With three daughters and a television empire known as Shondaland, Rhimes has been very open about her lifelong disinterest in marriage.

Octavia Butler (1947-2006)

Butler was an African-American writer and the only science fiction writer to receive a genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

Charity Bryant (1777-1851) and Sylvia Drake (1784-1868)

These two seamstresses met in Massachusetts in 1806 and started a tailoring business. They also apprenticed other young women. An incredibly close duo, historians believe they're one of the first records of a same-sex partnership.

St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

St. Hildegard of Bingen was a German abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, and polymath during the Middle Ages. She is also considered by scholars as the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.

Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961)

Born to freed slaves in Virginia, Burroughs was an African-American educator, religious leader, and civil rights activist. In 1909, she founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., which today is called the Nannie Helen Burroughs School.

Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995)

Kuhn was an American activist known for founding the Gray Panthers movement. She founded the movement after she was forced to retire from her job at the then-mandatory age of 65.