Harriet Martineau was a woman ahead of her time. In a world ruled by men, she was one of the first female journalist and sociologists; she paved the road for other women in these fields. Despite her physical disabilities, she wrote over 50 books. She also fought for women’s and slave’s equality.
In 1802, Martineau was born in Norwich, England to a middle class family. Her father owned a textile mill and her mother was a daughter of a sugar refiner/grocer. At the age of 12 she became deaf, having to use an ear trumpet, and later lost all sense of smell and taste. Her parents taught her the significance of education, but with the strict gender roles in the 19th century not many of the other women in her family ever went to college. But she would