Women in History · Head-to-head
Leymah Gbowee vs Malala Yousafzai
No — based on their recorded years, Leymah Gbowee (born 1972) lived before Malala Yousafzai (born 1997), and their lifetimes did not overlap.
Leymah Gbowee
Leymah Gbowee led a nonviolent women's peace movement that helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her activism.
Key achievements
- Founded the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement.
- Helped pressure warring factions into peace negotiations that ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.
- Collaborated with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's efforts to bring peace and democratic elections to Liberia.
- Shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman.
Fast fact
Gbowee's Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement famously included a sex strike among its nonviolent pressure tactics, part of a broader campaign that helped force warring factions to the negotiating table in 2003.
Full profile of Leymah Gbowee →Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education activist who survived a targeted assassination attempt by the Taliban at age 15 and became, at 17, the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Key achievements
- Advocated publicly for girls' education in Pakistan's Swat Valley as a teenager.
- Survived a targeted assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012.
- Became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, winning the Peace Prize in 2014.
- Founded the Malala Fund to advocate for girls' education worldwide.
Fast fact
Yousafzai was shot by Taliban gunmen in 2012 for her advocacy of girls' education, and after recovering, she became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history when she won the Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17.
Full profile of Malala Yousafzai →Who lived first, Leymah Gbowee or Malala Yousafzai?
Leymah Gbowee (born 1972) lived first, before Malala Yousafzai (born 1997), based on their recorded years.
Were Leymah Gbowee and Malala Yousafzai contemporaries?
No — based on their recorded years, Leymah Gbowee (born 1972) lived before Malala Yousafzai (born 1997), and their lifetimes did not overlap.
What do Leymah Gbowee and Malala Yousafzai have in common?
Both Leymah Gbowee and Malala Yousafzai are grouped among our Women in History figures and lived during the Modern Era.