First Women in India
The history of India is filled with inspiring stories of women who broke barriers and created new milestones. The list of the first women in India reminds us of those pioneers who challenged traditions and proved their strength in different fields. From politics and governance to science, sports, and social reforms, these remarkable women became torchbearers for generations to come.
Knowing about the first women in India is not only important for general awareness but also highly useful for competitive exams such as UPSC, SSC, State PSC, Railways, and other government job tests.
This page presents a comprehensive list of the first women in India along with their contributions :
First Women in India
| Title | Name |
| First Woman President of India | Pratibha Patil (2007) |
| First Woman Prime Minister of India | Indira Gandhi (1966) |
| First Woman Central Minister | Rajkumari Amrit Kaur |
| First Woman Railway Minister of India | Mamata Banerjee |
| First Woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha | Meira Kumar |
| First Woman Chairperson of Rajya Sabha (Deputy Chairperson) | Violet Alva |
| First Woman Governor of an Indian State | Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh, 1947–1949) |
| First Woman Chief Minister of a State | Sucheta Kripalani (Uttar Pradesh, 1963–1967) |
| First Woman Speaker of a State Assembly | Shano Devi |
| First Woman Nominated to Rajya Sabha | Rukmini Devi Arundale |
| First Indian Woman Nobel Laureate | Mother Teresa |
| First Woman Bharat Ratna Awardee | Indira Gandhi |
| First Woman Chief Justice of a High Court | Leila Seth (Himachal Pradesh, 1991) |
| First Woman Chief Election Commissioner | V. S. Ramadevi |
| First Woman Supreme Court Judge | Fathima Beevi |
| First Woman High Court Judge | Anna Chandy |
| First Woman Lawyer in India | Cornelia Sorabji (1892) |
| First Woman Honours Graduate | Kamini Roy (1886) |
| First Women Graduates | Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu (1883) |
| First Woman in India with a Doctorate of Science | Asima Chatterjee (1944) |
| First Woman Director General of Police | Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya |
| First Woman IPS Officer | Kiran Bedi |
| First Woman IAS Officer | Anna Rajam George (1950) |
| First Woman Congress President | Annie Besant |
| First Woman Chairperson of SBI | Arundhati Bhattacharya |
| First Woman UPSC Chairperson | Roze Millian Bethew |
| First Woman Secretary General of Rajya Sabha | V. S. Ramadevi |
| First Woman Chairperson of Indian Airlines | Sushma Chawla |
| First Woman President of Indian Science Congress | Dr. Asima Chatterjee |
| First Woman Ambassador of India | C.B. Muthamma |
| First Indian Woman to Climb Mount Everest | Bachendri Pal (1984) |
| First Indian Woman in Space | Kalpana Chawla |
| First Woman Commercial Airline Pilot | Durba Banerjee |
| First Indian Woman to Win Asian Games Gold | Kamaljeet Sandhu (1970) |
| First Woman Magsaysay Awardee | Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay |
| First Indian Miss Universe | Sushmita Sen |
| First Indian Miss World | Rita Faria |
| First Woman to Climb Mt. Everest Twice | Santosh Yadav |
| First Woman Jnanpith Awardee | Ashapurna Devi |
| First Woman Booker Prize Winner | Arundhati Roy |
| First Woman Sahitya Akademi Awardee | Amrita Pritam |
| First Woman Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee | Karnam Malleswari |
| First Indian Woman Olympic Medalist | Karnam Malleswari |
| First Indian Woman to Win WTA Title | Sania Mirza |
| First Woman Lieutenant General | Puneeta Arora |
| First Woman Vice Admiral (Indian Navy) | Puneeta Arora |
| First Woman Ashoka Chakra Awardee | Neerja Bhanot |
| First Woman Commercial Pilot in India | Prem Mathur |
| First Woman Olympic Qualifier (India) | Sini Abraham |
| First Indian Woman to Cross Gobi Desert | Sucheta Kadethankar |
| First Woman Pilot in Indian Air Force | Harita Kaur Deol |
| First Indian Woman to Win Grand Slam Junior Title | Sania Mirza (2003 Wimbledon) |
| First Indian Woman Chess Grandmaster | Koneru Humpy (2002) |
| First Indian Woman Member of Legion of Honour | Asha Pande |
| First Woman Monarch of Delhi Sultanate | Razia Sultan |
| First Indian Woman to Cross the English Channel | Arati Saha |
| First Woman Physician | Kadambini Ganguly |
| First Indian Woman President of UN General Assembly | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953) |
| First Woman Air Vice Marshal | Padmavathy Bandopadhyay |
| First Woman to Head a Navratna PSU | Nishi Vasudeva |
| First Lady of Indian Shipping | Sumati Morarjee |
| First Woman External Affairs Minister | Sushma Swaraj |
| First Indian Woman to Win Grand Slam Doubles | Sania Mirza |
| First Indian Woman Gymnast to Qualify for Olympics | Dipa Karmakar |
| First Indian Woman Boxer to Win Olympic Medal | MC Mary Kom |
| First Indian Woman Shuttler to Win Olympic Medal | Saina Nehwal |
| First Indian Woman Wrestler to Win Olympic Medal | Sakshi Malik |
| First Woman Athlete to Reach Track Final at Olympics | Lalita Babar |
| First Indian Woman to Win Gold at Asian Wrestling Championship | Navjot Kaur |
| First Indian Woman Gold Medalist in International Track | Hima Das |
| First Woman Sports Awardee (Padma Shri) | Arati Saha |
| First Indian Woman to Cross Seven Seas | Bula Choudhury |
| First Woman in India to Receive Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship | Anjanibai Malpekar |
Conclusion - First Women in India
The journey of the first women in India is a true reflection of courage, determination, and leadership. These women were not just the “first” in their fields but also role models for countless others to follow. For students and aspirants, remembering the list of first women in India is important for exams.
For more exam-oriented resources, you can also check out our India GK Questions – Part I section.
For further authentic references like this, you may also explore: Wikipedia – Women in India – History and achievements of Indian women.