Women are resilient, essential figures of society who give life, literally and figuratively, to everyone and everything. Yet, the position of women in history has been tainted by erasure. Their contributions have been minimized or rewritten for too long. Achievements of powerful women in leadership have been downplayed or wiped out, while ordinary women have often been sidelined into insignificance.
Today, this erasure takes on new forms. Consider the current debates about gender in sports or political decisions around women's spaces.
Recent events, such as Trump’s ruling on men in women’s sports, highlight ongoing tensions over who gets to define and occupy female spaces.
Women’s rights movements are fighting back. They’re giving a voice to the historical erasure of women and taking action to make sure this injustice stops.
This article examines the legacy of erasing women in history and explores how you can do your part by understanding how this happens and challenging any individual or group who promotes this hideous practice. Table of Contents:
Historical Erasure: Women’s Legacies Burned, Hidden, or Rewritten
There are many instances of the erasure of women in history. Even some of the world’s most prominent women in power have suffered this experience.
African Queens Erased from History
Hatshepsut is believed to be Egypt’s first female pharaoh. She came to the throne around 1473 BC, originally ruling jointly with her infant stepson Thutmose III following the death of her husband. Rather than settling to serve as a regent, she promoted herself to a queen regnant position, which gave her equal status. At some point after her death, her statues and monuments were defaced, as if to wipe out her memory. With Hatshepsut erased, her male successors acted as if she never existed.
Nefertiti was another powerful queen, who lived between 1370 and 1330 BC. She is believed to have ruled as co-regent with her husband, the pharaoh Akhenaten, and is depicted in archaeological records as equal in status to him. Even so, her remains have never been discovered. This absence has fuelled theories that Nefertiti’s disappearance results from deliberate erasure.
Fatima Bernawi: A Forgotten Revolutionary
More recently, the Afro-Palestinian activist Fatima Bernawi provides another example of the erasure of women. She was the first woman to lead an armed resistance operation in Israel. She was sentenced to life in prison for an attempted bombing incident, was released after 10 years and then deported.
Bernawi returned to the Gaza Strip in 1994 and became the highest-ranking female in the Fateh militia and was awarded the Military Star of Honor. Despite her history, Fatima Bernawi’s activism is often overlooked in mainstream narratives.
The 'Strong Black Woman' Stereotype: A Modern Erasure
The strong Black woman myth is another example of the cultural erasure of women. Black women are often labelled as aggressive, overly strong, or able to endure pain.
But Black women stereotypes like these only serve to erase the vulnerability and humanity of Black women. This can lead to biases in medicine, workplace treatment and social expectations.
Recent research has even discovered a link between the strong Black woman stereotype and eating disorders. Interviews were conducted with women who identified as African American/Black or Jamaican-American. All believed the stereotype negatively influenced their lives, including their unhealthy eating habits.
Interviewees explained that being labelled as a strong Black woman could feel like a microaggression. The label became an excuse for others to dismiss their value. This experience led to emotional distress and affected their relationship with food.
Women’s Sports: Expansion or Erasure?
The topical women-in-sports debate adds another dimension to the erasure of women. In Canada and New Zealand, transgender student-athletes can compete in the gender category they identify with.
Yet the debate over trans women in women’s sports has sparked accusations of gaslighting. When faced with criticism that the inclusion of transgender women in women’s categories is unfair, a typical response is, “We’re not erasing women—we’re just taking our rightful place.”
The recent Trump ruling against trans women in female sports reflects wider struggles over gender identity and fairness. For example, Trump recently called out Maine’s governor for not complying with the order. In Canada, the province of Alberta has seen similar backlash for their Fairness and Safety Bill that prevents biological male athletes from playing in women's sport.
This clearly demonstrates the polarization of the men-in-women’s-sport debate. For every individual or organization that supports the exclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, there’s another that opposes the ban for the same reason.
The Bigger Picture: Why Erasure Matters
The erasure of women from history makes it easier to justify marginalizing them today. It’s an issue with far-reaching consequences and represents an ongoing battle.
These patterns of erasure—whether in history books or modern debates—reinforce who has the power and what they will do to maintain it.
Addressing these issues through women’s rights movements, activism, and in general, male support means acknowledging intentional transgressions against women in the past and present, and ensuring this erasure doesn’t continue under new guises.
Recognizing and Resisting Erasure
Whether in history, politics, or sports and in everyday life too, the erasure of women follows the same pattern across different eras—men are making the decisions for women. Until that changes, women have little effect on their lives, rights and future.
To move forward, we must challenge historical distortions and modern narratives that sideline women’s voices and rights.
This is something everyone can do. You can learn the stories of erased women, advocate for spaces where women's contributions are fully recognized, and continue to challenge the norm that somehow men in powerful positions know better than women as to what is in their best interest.
Consider joining a women’s rights group in your community or online, and keeping informed about the current socio-political landscape by talking to people living and doing it.
Want to learn more about women's rights or tackle sensitive issues in your workplace? Reach out to us at Tough Convos to learn more about our educational tools and experiences.