40 Songs That Scream Female Empowerment From Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Dolly Parton & More

Women in music have long gotten the short end of the stick, and many still do when it comes to radio airplay (especially in country) and awards show recognition. Thankfully, that's changing: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and other women dominated the 2023 Grammys. 

However, before there were awards, there were simply lyrics and strong messages. The following women empowerment songs come from a span of decades and a diverse group of extremely talented artists. Whether you're looking for a playlist for your next girls' night in or a soundtrack to the shattering of the glass ceiling, these songs can empower all women. Get ready to ask for that raise, celebrate your sisters or maybe just sing into your hairbrush with these girl power songs.

40 Girl Power Songs for Women Empowerment

1. "You Don't Own Me," Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore's 1964 hit "You Don't Own Me" became a feminist anthem for its message, featuring lyrics that asserted a woman's independence within the context of a relationship: "And don't tell me what to do / Don't tell me what to say / And please, when I go out with you / Don't put me on display 'cause / You don't own me / Don't try to change me in any way / You don't own me / Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay."

Gore said of the song in 1991, "At the time, I know I chose it because I know I liked the strength in the lyrics. But, for me, it was not a song about being a woman. It was about being a person, and what was involved with that. Of course, it got picked up as an anthem for women, which makes me very proud."

2. "The Pill," Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn delivered on the seriously groundbreaking "The Pill," an ode to birth control from the eyes of a wife who'd had enough babies and enough of her dirtbag husband, with lyrics including "All these years I've stayed at home / While you had all your fun / And every year that's gone by / Another baby's come / There's a gonna be some changes made / Right here on nursery hill / You've set this chicken your last time / 'Cause now I've got the pill." Not only was it a seriously ballsy move as a whole back in 1975 when it was released, but it was especially shocking coming from a country crooner.

3. "Typical Girls," The Slits

British post-punk band The Slits took aim at stereotypes placed on women and the insecurities they caused in their 1979 classic "Typical Girls." The group slammed the ideas that "Typical girls get upset too quickly / Typical girls can't control themselves" while also lamenting, "Typical girls feel like hell / Typical girls worry about spots, fat / And natural smells."

4. "My Own Dance," Kesha

While Kesha's hits "Woman" and "Praying" from 2017 album Rainbow are also empowering feminist anthems, "My Own Dance," off the upcoming High Road, captures her spirit: While she told The Atlantic that Rainbow was about her tackling more serious issues (likely referring to her harrowing litigation battles with and abuse allegations against producer Dr. Luke), this track was a return to form for her. "I don't have to live in being a tragedy, or being a party girl," she said. "I can be all of the things."

5. "The Lady Is a Vamp," Spice Girls

The Spice Girls were all about girl power, especially in "The Lady Is a Vamp." The showtune and jazz-inspired track from their sophomore album celebrated pop culture's female icons through the years and warned men about the "power girl in a '90s world" who was coming for them.

6. "Confident," Demi Lovato

Because, as Demi Lovato so regularly proves, there really is nothing wrong with being confident.

7. "6'1"," Liz Phair

Liz Phair told Rolling Stone of the track from 1993's Exile in Guyville, "That has always been a fun song because any time people meet me and [see that] I’m so small, there’s always a sort of momentary joke where they’re like, 'Oh, 6'1', I guess you're not that.' To me, it's the encapsulation of what the rest of the record is going to be delivering. It's got that bravado that I manifest. Sometimes it's real and sometimes I'm putting it on in the rest of the songs. It's standing up to the boy; it's standing up to the guy." For the record, she's actually 5'2," but her attitude, confidence and talent are huge, thank you very much.

8. "I'm Every Woman," Chaka Khan

Every woman is expected to be, well, every woman. Chaka Khan nails it in this hit, later re-popularized by Whitney Houston's cover for The Bodyguard soundtrack. "I'm Every Woman" was Khan's debut solo song outside of Rufus, and it cemented her legacy, but it wasn't easy for her. She admitted to The Guardian in April 2017, "It wrecked me emotionally when I first started singing 'I'm Every Woman.' It was ironic that I was battling deep insecurities yet singing this huge anthem of empowerment. I thought I didn’t have the right to sing it."

9. "Rebel Girl," Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill honored the women who had the nerve to hold their heads up high without conforming—and celebrated female friendship despite neighborhood nonsense gossip.

10. "Gunpowder & Lead," Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert's revenge fantasy against a domestic abuser is a country classic. She told The Boot that the track hits home for her, even though she herself isn't a survivor of domestic violence. "Some people are like, 'Ugh! I can't believe she's singing that!' And it's meant to be taken lighthearted in some aspects, but [this song is] also very real to me," she said. "When I was younger, my parents took in abused women and their kids, so I saw firsthand what damage it can do to a family to be in an abusive relationship."

11. "Run the World (Girls)," Beyoncé

Beyoncé confirmed that yes, girls do run the world. She explained to Billboard, "Power means happiness, power means hard work and sacrifice. To me, it's about setting a good example, and not abusing your power! You still have to have humility: I've seen how you can lead by example, and not by fear."

12. "#1 Must Have," Sleater-Kinney

Sleater-Kinney sneers at the transformation of feminism into a commodity, calling out "marketing stars" and rape culture. The song ends with a call to action: "Culture is what we make it, yes it is / Now is the time / Now is the time / Now is the time to invent."

13. "Respect," Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul sang for us all on her rendition of "Respect." Aretha Franklin told Rolling Stone that the meaning of her classic was a simple one: "Everybody wants respect. In their own way, 3-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms."

Related: We Ranked the 100 Best Madonna Songs of All Time

14. "A Living Human Girl," The Regrettes

The Regrettes singer Lydia Night penned "A Living Human Girl" when she was in her early teens, and it resonates with women everywhere of all ages, describing body insecurities, periods and not necessarily wanting to dress "girly" all the time. Night told Rookie of the garage pop song's message, "It's like feeding people medicine in a cupcake, you know? Our drummer's sister loves 'A Living Human Girl,' and she's seven years old. She may not know what it's about, but when she's older, she's going to understand. She loves it because it's a cupcake."

15. "Bad Reputation," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Joan Jett was a pioneer for women in rock n' roll, and "Bad Reputation" is widely considered her magnum opus. It was partly inspired by the, well, bad reputation she believed women had when they aligned with rock music. She explained to Rolling Stone, "When you tell me a girl can't play rock n' roll, you're not saying a girl can't master the guitar, you're saying girls aren't allowed to play rock n' roll because rock is a sexual type of music and being sexual is not allowed for girls. But that wasn't something I figured out at that moment: I just didn't like being told I couldn't do something I could obviously do," she continued. "So it was more of a societal thing that made me want to fight against it."

16. "The Man," Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift released "The Man" in 2019 on her album Lover, and the song details the unique struggles a wealthy, notably powerful white woman still faces with sexism. She told The Guardian that the song was largely inspired by the double standards she feels she's faced in the entertainment industry, explaining, "Having dealt with a few of them, narcissists basically subscribe to a belief system that they should be able to do and say whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want to. And if we—as anyone else in the world, but specifically women—react to that, well, we're not allowed to. We're not allowed to have a reaction to their actions."