Mona Sinha joins the National Women’s Hall of Fame: A look at its legacy

On 24 September 2026, Equality Now CEO Mona Sinha was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, joining generations of women who have shaped history. As she added her signature to the pillar bearing those of the women inducted before her, it was a powerful reminder that women’s legacies do not stand alone, they build on one another, across generations.

Her induction comes at a time when the case for equality remains urgent. Women globally still have only around two-thirds of the legal rights of men, while gender-based violence is estimated to cost the global economy $1.5 trillion each year. Giving women the same opportunities as men in employment and entrepreneurship could increase global GDP by more than 20%.

Joining a remarkable legacy

Since its first induction ceremony in 1973, the National Women’s Hall of Fame has recognised women who have pursued change in many different ways, from lawyers and activists to writers, philanthropists and public figures.

Mona’s induction recognises a lifetime of work across philanthropy, advocacy and social enterprise. Before joining Equality Now, she supported more than 90 social justice organisations, helping build the resources, partnerships and institutions needed to sustain change. Today, she leads Equality Now’s work with partners around the world to change discriminatory laws and turn legal rights into lived reality.

Here are some of the women whose company she now joins.

Eleanor Roosevelt: Helping establish a global standard of human rights

Inducted in the Hall’s inaugural class in 1973, Eleanor Roosevelt played a leading role in developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and later chaired the first US Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. Her work helped shape the international human rights framework that organisations including Equality Now continue to use to hold governments accountable for protecting and advancing women’s rights.

Gloria Steinem: Building movements for change

Inducted in 1993, Gloria Steinem became one of the most influential figures of the modern women’s movement, using journalism, activism and movement-building to advance women’s rights. She also supported Equality Now starting with its founding  in 1992, beginning a relationship between the organisation and the Hall that Mona’s induction now continues.

Jane Fonda: Using culture and influence to advance change

Inducted in 2019, actor and activist Jane Fonda has used her public platform to advocate for feminism, reproductive health, environmental justice and women’s representation in media. Her work demonstrates the role culture and public influence can play in challenging inequality. Fonda also has a longstanding relationship with Equality Now, having supported the organisation and its work over the years.

Kimberlé Crenshaw: Changing how we understand discrimination

Inducted in 2024, legal scholar and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989, transforming how overlapping forms of discrimination are understood. Her work has particular relevance to Equality Now’s approach, which recognises how factors including race, disability, economic status and migration status can create additional barriers to rights, protection and justice.

Loretta Ross: Reframing reproductive rights as human rights

Inducted in 2024, feminist activist and academic Loretta Ross helped develop the reproductive justice framework, connecting reproductive rights with human rights, race, gender and economic inequality. Globally, nearly half of partnered women across 78 countries still lack full decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Ross’s work reflects a principle central to Equality Now’s approach: rights must account for the intersecting inequalities that shape women’s lives.

Michelle Obama: Expanding opportunities for girls

Inducted in 2021, lawyer, author and former First Lady Michelle Obama has championed education and opportunity for women and girls, including through Let Girls Learn, which addressed barriers preventing adolescent girls from completing their education. Her advocacy has highlighted issues including child marriage and FGM, both areas in which Equality Now works to strengthen laws and protections for girls.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O’Connor and Sonia Sotomayor: Breaking barriers at the highest court

The Hall includes the first three women appointed to the United States Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981, Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993 and Sonia Sotomayor in 2009, who also became its first Hispanic and Latina Justice. Their place in the Hall reflects a wider story of women’s representation and equality before the law. Today, just 4% of women live in economies approaching full legal equality for women’s rights, while eliminating discriminatory laws globally could take nearly 300 years at the current rate of progress. Equality Now has helped reform more than 140 discriminatory laws since 1992.

Everyone needs equality

These are just some of the women who have been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame over its history. Their contributions span law, culture, advocacy and public life, but together they show how advancing women’s rights can shape societies more broadly. Mona’s induction adds another perspective to that history, and reflects a principle that connects much of this work: equality for women and girls contributes to fairer, safer and more equal societies for everyone.