8 female inventions you probably use everyday
International Women’s Day aims to shine the spotlight on women’s achievements and contributions, plus the challenges and struggles that they faced throughout history. So it might not surprise you to learn that female inventors had a pretty rough time when it came to receiving the same opportunities and recognition as their male counterparts.
Due to the obstacles they faced, there are countless inventions with creators that are lost to history, but in recent years we’ve learned more about what women have done in the face of adversity. Thus, we’re please to pay homage to extraordinary women and the creations they conceived.
In honour of International Women’s Day, here are eight items you probably use frequently that were invented by women.
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Our favourite female inventions
1. The hair roller
Inventor: Beulah Louise Henry
Year: Around the 1920s
Other notable inventions: Nicknamed ‘Lady Edison’, Beulah Louise Henry was responsible for a number of cutting-edge inventions, including several contributions in the field of sewing. She also developed plenty of inventions in the realms of dolls and typewriting.
Constantly after a perfectly curled coiffure? Then thank Beulah Louise Henry curls and volume courtesy of hair rollers. Early prototypes of this hair styling tool were simple metal rods coated in cheap fabric or leather which the hair was then wrapped around. Women would wear the rods overnight to achieve cascading curls in the morning
Nowadays we like…
We prefer a tong over classic rollers to get that perfectly polished curl pattern. This ghd model stands out for its tapered base and thinner tip, which creates a more natural look that’ll hold up days after styling. The stay-cool tip and swivel cord seal the deal for us.
2. The dishwasher
Inventor: Josephine Cochran
Year: 1872
Legend has it that Josephine Cochran hated washing dishes so much, she invented a machine to do the job for her. Earlier prototypes of dishwashers had been made in the past, but with limited success: Cochran was the first person to invent a machine that worked effectively, and she did it in a shed at the back of her home.
She faced a lot of hardship in her journey to success, including the death of her husband, mounting debts and the initial challenge of finding customers to purchase a machine that relied on hot water at a time where this was not a widespread commodity.
Nowadays we like…
Cochran’s company was actually purchased by KitchenAid, so a KitchenAid dishwasher would be fitting. Unfortunately these models can be hard to find in stock in the UK — but this stainless steel Kenwood model makes a good alternative. It’s perfectly suited to medium households and its fastest setting promises clean dishes in 30 minutes.
3. The refrigerator
Inventor: Florence Parpart
Year: 1914
Other notable inventions: The street sweeper
Sadly there is little known about Florence Parpart and her groundbreaking invention of the modern day refrigerator. Her pioneering product rendered iceboxes obsolete for those with electricity and she also proved to be highly skilled at marketing and selling her invention.
She is also credited with inventing the street sweeper, which revolutionised the cleanliness of streets up and down the country.
Nowadays we like…
This sleek, black fridge slots under any counter and with ease. It’s spacious enough to store a weekly grocery shop, but its small footprint makes it suitable for most homes. We like that the shelves can be assembled according to how you need them.
4. Rubbish bins with foot pedals
Inventor: Lilian Gilbreth
Year: Sometime in the mid 1900s.
Other notable inventions: Described as ‘a genius in the art of living’ and ‘America’s first lady of engineering’, Lilian Gilbreth was a powerhouse to be reckoned with. One of her other most attention-grabbing inventions is the electric food mixer, and she’s also credited with pioneering shelves inside fridge doors. (We’re sure Florence Parpart would be thrilled.)
With multiple films inspired by her life and 23 honorary degrees to her name, Lilian Gilbreth had an extraordinarily interesting life, and the foot-pedalled rubbish bin was one in a string of impressive inventions and improvements she made over the course of her lifetime. Her work mainly centred around improvements to domestic life.
Nowadays we like…
We love the retro lines and light powder blue of this pedal bin. Its affordable pricetag and easy-to-control pedal are the icing on the cake.
The food mixer has come a long way since Gilbreth’s time, but the principle is still the same, and this high-performance model from Bosch is one of the best affordable options on the market. It’s well-rated, not too loud and can tackle whatever ingredient you throw in.
5. Disposable nappies
Inventor: Marion Donovan
Year: 1950
Other notable inventions: As one of the most prolific female inventors of her time, Donovan dabbled in lots of ideas, including a compact 30-garment hanger, a self-draining soap dish and a circular teeth-flossing product (to name just a few).
The disposable nappy, however, is what launched Donovan into success. Before Donovan’s patent, nappies would leak all over the baby’s clothes and bed sheets. She started out using cloth from her shower curtain to create a waterproof nappy cover with a little pouch to fit a normal nappy inside. After many iterations, she finally came to create the disposable nappy.
Donovan’s original nappy idea was commercialised by Victor Mills, the creator of Pampers, so this seems like the fitting choice. These top-rated nappies promise up to 12 hours of dryness and feature three separate channels of absorption.
6. The home security system
Inventor: Marie Van Brittan Brown
Year: 1969
Living in a high-crime area of New York and working unsocial hours meant that Brown spent a lot of time concerned for the safety of her home. Her husband also worked a lot, so she was often home alone and worried about how long it took police to arrive to her neighbourhood when they were called.
Brown began working on a radio-controlled wireless system that would stream the video feed from outside into a television inside the house. Alongside this, she also developed a two-way microphone system. Her husband was an electrician and he was instrumental in developing the final product.
Nowadays we like…
Compatible with Alexa and Google Home, this smart home security system is designed with convenience in mind. Its innovative features are what set it apart from the rest, and it’s equipped with colour night vision as well as motion and heat detection.
7. The ice-cream maker
Inventor: Nancy Johnson
Year: 1834
Little is known about Nancy Johnson, but her invention of the ice-cream maker was a rousing success at a time when ice-cream was extremely labour-intensive and time-consuming to make. Not only did her invention make ice-cream smoother, it could also produce two flavours at once and made it easy to remove any build-up of ice crystals.
Prior to Johnson’s patent, ice-cream was a rare treat reserved for the upper classes. Her creation made ice-cream production infinitely cheaper, which in turn made it more accessible across the United States. This likely contributed to ice cream’s popularity as a dessert today. Her original invention is still in use across the world.
Nowadays we like…
This isn’t exactly the hand-churned version that Johnson created, but it’s still remarkably simple to use and produces a delicious assortment of ice cream, sorbet and froyo. A two-litre bowl ensures you have all the space you need to create big batches — ideal for a hot summer’s day.
8. The coffee filter
Inventor: Melitta Bentz
Year: 1908
If you’ve ever brewed coffee in Europe, you might have across ‘Melitta’ coffee filters; these are the creation of Melitta Bentz, a German entrepreneur who saw a gap in the market for coffee with a less bitter aftertaste.
After experimenting with things like blotting paper, Bentz finally came up with the concept of a coffee filter, and her product quickly became a big success. She founded a company which branched out into a wide selection of coffee-related products.
Nowadays we like…
We’re big fans of this Melitta coffee machine, with its programmable warm-up time and a generous jug for up to 10 cups of coffee. An integrated grinder means the final result is super-fresh and richly aromatic.
Photos used in this article: Josephine Cochrane; Lilian Gilbreth; and [Melitta Bentz*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melitta_Bentz).
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Prices updated on 06/03/2024. We are not responsible for any changes to the prices mentioned above.
