Jane Goodall’s Feminist Legacy Lives On
Jane Goodall, the groundbreaking primatologist and activist, passed away last week at 91. Her death marks the end of an era — but also highlights just how much one woman can change the way the world sees science, nature, and women’s place in both.
When Goodall began her work in the 1960s at Gombe Stream in Tanzania, she was dismissed by many in the academic world. She wasn’t formally trained, she was a young woman in a male-dominated field, and her approach — naming the chimpanzees she studied instead of numbering them — was seen as “unscientific.” But Goodall trusted her instincts. She proved that empathy was not weakness but strength, and her findings — that chimpanzees use tools, show emotion, and have individual personalities — transformed our understanding of animals and ourselves.
Her story is also a feminist one. Goodall pushed through barriers that kept women out of scientific leadership, showing that intuition and compassion have a place in serious research. She built institutions, like the Jane Goodall Institute, and launched youth movements like Roots & Shoots that continue to center women and young people in conservation work. She didn’t just pave a path for women in science — she built an entirely new way of thinking about leadership, rooted in care and collaboration rather than competition.
Goodall herself put it best: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Those words reflect not only her life’s work but also the values she urged women and all people to carry forward.
As tributes pour in from around the globe, one thing stands out: Goodall inspired women everywhere to follow their curiosity, to believe their voices mattered, and to never accept being told they don’t belong. Her legacy is a reminder that feminism is not only about breaking glass ceilings — it’s about reshaping the very foundations of the room.
Jane Goodall leaves behind a world more awake, more compassionate towards animals, and more hopeful because she dared to lead as herself. And that may be her greatest contribution of all.
