![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6560af8a50619.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0e4c408.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae04be760.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae8c48015.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae08b812b.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae896ac77.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0c3e10d.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0f84fe8.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae8d3200c.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae07a6e61.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae098cd5b.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae01a3e08.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0a1d9eb.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae055605a.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0ab376c.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0beed53.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399af5fa5643.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae8d16d46.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae01cda00.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae892244e.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae89586bf.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399af239f544.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0137c49.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ea0a7b242.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0a46a85.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae89dfa3c.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae03b7a6e.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0f5869b.jpg)
![Successful women who chose not to get married](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_6399ae0108393.jpg)
See Also
See Again
Successful women who chose not to get married
- Throughout history, marriage was a societal expectation, particularly for women, who had to relinquish many personal rights. In most situations, husbands were seen as superior to their wives, resulting in significant restrictions on women's freedom. However, numerous remarkable women chose not to enter into marriage, defying societal norms and forging their own paths. Thankfully, times have changed, but even today, society often portrays unmarried women as incomplete.
To challenge this notion and showcase that women can lead extraordinary lives without marriage, we invite you to browse through this gallery. It serves as a reminder that marriage is not a prerequisite for a fulfilling existence!
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
Joan of Arc (1412-1431)
- Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, was a soldier who hailed from an Eastern French peasant background. Despite her young age, she effectively commanded an army, securing a series of significant triumphs throughout the Hundred Years War.
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
Coco Chanel (1883-1971)
- The renowned designer revolutionized the realm of fashion permanently. Moreover, she remains the sole fashion designer featured in Time magazine's influential figures of the 20th-century list.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
- There was significant controversy surrounding the rightful heir of Henry VIII and his beheaded wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth became queen at 25, after much debate, she went on to reign for 44 years.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Greta Garbo (1905-1990)
- Greta Garbo, the Swedish-American star, defied the trend of multiple marriages common among the actresses of Old Hollywood.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
Oprah Winfrey
- Despite being in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986, the media mogul has never tied the knot officially.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
- At 27, the author received a proposal, which she initially accepted but quickly backed out of within a day. Austen subsequently penned a letter to her niece, expressing the belief that "anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection."
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
- Louisa May Alcott, renowned for her novel 'Little Women' (1868), revealed her unexpected reason for remaining unmarried. In her own words, 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."
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
- Susan B. Anthony, an American social reformer, actively participated in the abolitionist and suffrage movements. The 19th Amendment, known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, granted women in the United States the right to vote.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
Diane Keaton
- Despite her numerous romantic comedy roles, Diane Keaton has chosen not to get hitched in real life. In 2023, she told AARP, "I don't date."
© Getty Images
9 / 29 Fotos
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
- Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, chose not to marry as she believed it was her divine destiny to remain single.
© Getty Images
10 / 29 Fotos
Clara Barton (1821-1912)
- Clara Barton, a remarkable nurse and educator, made the choice to remain unmarried. She instead devoted herself to humanitarian work and established the American Red Cross.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
Harper Lee (1926-2016)
- The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1960) remained single.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
Condoleeza Rice
- Condoleezza Rice made history as the first African-American woman to hold the position of Secretary of State, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, another African-American. When questioned about her single status, she replied, "the fact is I’ve never found anybody that I want to spend my life with."
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
Jackie "Moms" Mabley (1894-1975)
- Jackie "Moms" Mabley, a renowned comedian and accomplished black vaudeville performer, disclosed her sexual orientation as a lesbian in 1921 at 27 years old. Despite being a mother of four, she chose not to marry.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
Janet Reno (1938-2016)
- Janet Reno was chosen by President Bill Clinton to become the first female Attorney General. She served in this role from 1993 until 2001, making her the second-longest serving Attorney General, following William Wirt (1817-1829).
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Emily Carr (1871-1945)
- Carr, a Canadian writer and artist, drew inspiration from the indigenous cultures of Alaska and British Columbia. She had strong ties to the renowned Group of Seven artists.
© Public Domain
16 / 29 Fotos
Shonda Rhimes
- Rhimes, the creator of Shondaland and mother to three daughters, has openly expressed her lack of interest in marriage throughout her life.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Christabel Pankhurst (1880-1958)
- In 1903, the English suffragette played a key role in establishing the Women's Social and Political Union (WPSU). Throughout her life, she tirelessly fought for women's voting rights and gender equality.
© Getty Images
18 / 29 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
- Cassatt, one of the few women Impressionist painters, chose early on that marriage wouldn't align with her artistic path.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Charity Bryant (1777-1851) and Sylvia Drake (1784-1868)
- In 1806, two seamstresses encountered each other in Massachusetts and began a tailoring enterprise. They also trained other young women. Historians view them as a remarkably intimate pair, possibly representing one of the earliest recorded instances of a same-sex union.
© Public Domain
21 / 29 Fotos
Pauli Murray (1910-1985)
- Murray was involved in advocating for civil rights and women's rights. She had various roles as a lawyer, teacher, poet, and priest. As a significant milestone, Murray broke barriers in 1977 by becoming the first African-American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
- St. Hildegard of Bingen, a notable figure in the Middle Ages, was a German abbess known for her diverse talents in writing, composing, philosophy, Christian mysticism, and polymath pursuits. Scholars recognize her as the initiator of scientific natural history in Germany.
© Public Domain
23 / 29 Fotos
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)
- Martineau, an English social theorist, is widely regarded as the pioneering female sociologist who, through her writings, brought the abolitionist cause to Britain.
© Getty Images
24 / 29 Fotos
Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961)
- Nannie Helen Burroughs, an African-American educator, religious leader, and civil rights activist, was born to freed slaves in Virginia. In 1909, she established the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., now known as the Nannie Helen Burroughs School.
© Getty Images
25 / 29 Fotos
Catharine Beecher (1800-1878)
- Catharine Beecher, sister of the famous abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe, lost her fiance at sea before they could get married. Following his passing, she committed herself to teaching and went on to establish several women’s colleges in the American Midwest.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995)
- Kuhn, an activist from the United States, is famous for establishing the Gray Panthers movement. This movement came into existence when she was forced to quit her job at the mandatory age of 65.
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
Charlotte Whitton (1896-1975)
- Whitton, a Canadian social reformer and advocate for women's rights, made history as the first female mayor of Ottawa. Her tenure spanned from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Sources: (The Washington Post) (HuffPost) (Bustle) (Unmarried Equality) See also: Famous women who lost their husbands
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
Successful women who chose not to get married
- Throughout history, marriage was a societal expectation, particularly for women, who had to relinquish many personal rights. In most situations, husbands were seen as superior to their wives, resulting in significant restrictions on women's freedom. However, numerous remarkable women chose not to enter into marriage, defying societal norms and forging their own paths. Thankfully, times have changed, but even today, society often portrays unmarried women as incomplete.
To challenge this notion and showcase that women can lead extraordinary lives without marriage, we invite you to browse through this gallery. It serves as a reminder that marriage is not a prerequisite for a fulfilling existence!
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
Joan of Arc (1412-1431)
- Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, was a soldier who hailed from an Eastern French peasant background. Despite her young age, she effectively commanded an army, securing a series of significant triumphs throughout the Hundred Years War.
© Getty Images
1 / 29 Fotos
Coco Chanel (1883-1971)
- The renowned designer revolutionized the realm of fashion permanently. Moreover, she remains the sole fashion designer featured in Time magazine's influential figures of the 20th-century list.
© Getty Images
2 / 29 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
- There was significant controversy surrounding the rightful heir of Henry VIII and his beheaded wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth became queen at 25, after much debate, she went on to reign for 44 years.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Greta Garbo (1905-1990)
- Greta Garbo, the Swedish-American star, defied the trend of multiple marriages common among the actresses of Old Hollywood.
© Getty Images
4 / 29 Fotos
Oprah Winfrey
- Despite being in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986, the media mogul has never tied the knot officially.
© Getty Images
5 / 29 Fotos
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
- At 27, the author received a proposal, which she initially accepted but quickly backed out of within a day. Austen subsequently penned a letter to her niece, expressing the belief that "anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection."
© Getty Images
6 / 29 Fotos
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
- Louisa May Alcott, renowned for her novel 'Little Women' (1868), revealed her unexpected reason for remaining unmarried. In her own words, 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."
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
- Susan B. Anthony, an American social reformer, actively participated in the abolitionist and suffrage movements. The 19th Amendment, known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, granted women in the United States the right to vote.
© Getty Images
8 / 29 Fotos
Diane Keaton
- Despite her numerous romantic comedy roles, Diane Keaton has chosen not to get hitched in real life. In 2023, she told AARP, "I don't date."
© Getty Images
9 / 29 Fotos
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
- Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, chose not to marry as she believed it was her divine destiny to remain single.
© Getty Images
10 / 29 Fotos
Clara Barton (1821-1912)
- Clara Barton, a remarkable nurse and educator, made the choice to remain unmarried. She instead devoted herself to humanitarian work and established the American Red Cross.
© Getty Images
11 / 29 Fotos
Harper Lee (1926-2016)
- The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1960) remained single.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
Condoleeza Rice
- Condoleezza Rice made history as the first African-American woman to hold the position of Secretary of State, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, another African-American. When questioned about her single status, she replied, "the fact is I’ve never found anybody that I want to spend my life with."
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
Jackie "Moms" Mabley (1894-1975)
- Jackie "Moms" Mabley, a renowned comedian and accomplished black vaudeville performer, disclosed her sexual orientation as a lesbian in 1921 at 27 years old. Despite being a mother of four, she chose not to marry.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
Janet Reno (1938-2016)
- Janet Reno was chosen by President Bill Clinton to become the first female Attorney General. She served in this role from 1993 until 2001, making her the second-longest serving Attorney General, following William Wirt (1817-1829).
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Emily Carr (1871-1945)
- Carr, a Canadian writer and artist, drew inspiration from the indigenous cultures of Alaska and British Columbia. She had strong ties to the renowned Group of Seven artists.
© Public Domain
16 / 29 Fotos
Shonda Rhimes
- Rhimes, the creator of Shondaland and mother to three daughters, has openly expressed her lack of interest in marriage throughout her life.
© Getty Images
17 / 29 Fotos
Christabel Pankhurst (1880-1958)
- In 1903, the English suffragette played a key role in establishing the Women's Social and Political Union (WPSU). Throughout her life, she tirelessly fought for women's voting rights and gender equality.
© Getty Images
18 / 29 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
19 / 29 Fotos
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
- Cassatt, one of the few women Impressionist painters, chose early on that marriage wouldn't align with her artistic path.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Charity Bryant (1777-1851) and Sylvia Drake (1784-1868)
- In 1806, two seamstresses encountered each other in Massachusetts and began a tailoring enterprise. They also trained other young women. Historians view them as a remarkably intimate pair, possibly representing one of the earliest recorded instances of a same-sex union.
© Public Domain
21 / 29 Fotos
Pauli Murray (1910-1985)
- Murray was involved in advocating for civil rights and women's rights. She had various roles as a lawyer, teacher, poet, and priest. As a significant milestone, Murray broke barriers in 1977 by becoming the first African-American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
- St. Hildegard of Bingen, a notable figure in the Middle Ages, was a German abbess known for her diverse talents in writing, composing, philosophy, Christian mysticism, and polymath pursuits. Scholars recognize her as the initiator of scientific natural history in Germany.
© Public Domain
23 / 29 Fotos
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)
- Martineau, an English social theorist, is widely regarded as the pioneering female sociologist who, through her writings, brought the abolitionist cause to Britain.
© Getty Images
24 / 29 Fotos
Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961)
- Nannie Helen Burroughs, an African-American educator, religious leader, and civil rights activist, was born to freed slaves in Virginia. In 1909, she established the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., now known as the Nannie Helen Burroughs School.
© Getty Images
25 / 29 Fotos
Catharine Beecher (1800-1878)
- Catharine Beecher, sister of the famous abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe, lost her fiance at sea before they could get married. Following his passing, she committed herself to teaching and went on to establish several women’s colleges in the American Midwest.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995)
- Kuhn, an activist from the United States, is famous for establishing the Gray Panthers movement. This movement came into existence when she was forced to quit her job at the mandatory age of 65.
© Getty Images
27 / 29 Fotos
Charlotte Whitton (1896-1975)
- Whitton, a Canadian social reformer and advocate for women's rights, made history as the first female mayor of Ottawa. Her tenure spanned from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Sources: (The Washington Post) (HuffPost) (Bustle) (Unmarried Equality) See also: Famous women who lost their husbands
© Getty Images
28 / 29 Fotos
Successful women who chose not to get married
© Getty Images
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
![Why is analog technology still so appealing?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_662fd5c45faad.jpg)
![The careers of world leaders before politics](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6218cc1905df2.jpg)
![From bedbugs to the opening ceremony: Is Paris ready for the Olympics?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667bf35434fbc.jpg)
![The fascinating history of giving flowers](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6679aa20829f9.jpg)
![Things you should never do at Disney parks](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66793585ad70f.jpg)
![The meanings of airline code words that passengers don't understand](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6679a5895f64a.jpg)
![Infamous feuds and vendettas throughout history](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66783a858a0a7.jpg)
![The story of Windrush, and the scandal that followed](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66783cee5be12.jpg)
![The most memorable presidential debates in US history](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6679857744ced.jpg)
![The strange rules presidential children have to follow](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66795febd8c78.jpg)
![Expert advice to get kids off their screens](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6679563f6930a.jpg)
![Adding a third wheel: the evolution of the sidecar](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66797214cbcd9.jpg)
![Disgusting "natural" flavorings in food](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667958fdde73b.jpg)
![Psychological warfare: Why North Korea keeps sending trash balloons to South Korea](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667aa5380ce1c.jpg)
![Budget-friendly summer activities for adults](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667932732de1f.jpg)
![Which of the British royal family's many homes are haunted?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66791c8a1a86b.jpg)
![Do "natural" sleep aids actually work? Here's what science has to say](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6675611672b76.jpg)
![Countries that feed themselves, and nations that need help](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667911343cc64.jpg)
![Do you recognize your superego?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66213104e409c.jpg)
![The countries with the strictest immigration laws](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667a7d090369e.jpg)
![Has a naval war already started?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66755a88e9652.jpg)
![A beginner's guide to antique shopping](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6674366f2946e.jpg)
![The inflation rate under each US president](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6679840cf3034.jpg)
![30 top tips for newlyweds](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6672f0519be2a.jpg)
![Gentle parenting: What is it, and what do people get wrong?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667152dfc5db6.jpg)
![Proven strategies to boost motivation and achieve your goals](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6672ac621b591.jpg)
![Decoding the symbolism of Freemasonry](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66752c1c2741e.jpg)
![Unique sports from around the globe](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6674166b20628.jpg)
![Milking it: would you try colostrum supplements?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667406ff6c3d5.jpg)
![Things you should never leave in your yard](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_667430f716bd3.jpg)
![The hardest colleges to get into in the US](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6673f4c3da4b2.jpg)
![The most controversial presidential pardons in US history](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6673e9b580b59.jpg)
![Who died at the White House?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6673dea800553.jpg)
![Proposed US states and territories that never were](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6673d5ed3b37d.jpg)
![What does craniosacral therapy do?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_666c082fd24e6.jpg)
![The 10 most "impossibly unaffordable" cities in the world](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6674158906b55.jpg)
MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week