Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia: First Woman to Earn a PhD

Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, born in Venice on June 5, 1646, became the first woman in the world to earn a doctorate on June 25, 1678. She was awarded a degree in philosophy from the University of Padua after being denied a theology doctorate by Bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, who argued women were incapable of complex reasoning. Her achievement drew tens of thousands to Padua for the thesis defense in the cathedral. Despite this milestone, it took two more centuries for women to gain university access. Today, over 130 million girls worldwide are denied education, and more than 500 million have never learned to read. The article also discusses ongoing gender disparities in education, violence against women, and the Istanbul Convention (2014) as a legal tool against domestic violence.