Celebrate Women’s History Month by exploring pivotal points in history and learning more about women who made history and those continuing to do so. This March, we salute women who have changed lives with documentaries about and by women, their achievements, their artistry, and their struggles.
Why is Women’s History Month in March?
Women’s History Month began as National Women’s History Week, a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. Organizers chose to start on March 8: International Women’s Day. A consortium of women’s groups then petitioned Congress and the White House in support of a national Women’s History Week.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter designated the first National Women’s History Week by Presidential Proclamation. Again, the week of March 8 - 12, 1980 was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. The following year Congress authorized Women’s History Week to begin the week of March 7. Congress continued to pass resolutions designating Women’s History Week for five more years, until 1987, when they established all of March would be celebrated as Women’s History Month.
Documentary Spotlight
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language. Known for roles in The West Wing and CODA, at 21 years old, Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar.
Becoming Katharine Graham
“Becoming Katharine Graham” tells the story of a painfully shy woman’s accidental rise to power and how it changed history. After a family tragedy, Kay evolved from a “doormat wife” into a legendary newspaper publisher. Nixon’s nemesis during Watergate, she fought for truth, broke down barriers in a sexist world, and won a Pulitzer Prize, inspiring generations with her courage and resilience.
“Becoming Katharine Graham” premieres on PBS on March 5th, 2026.
Add to Your WatchlistThe M Factor 2: Before the Pause
“The M Factor 2: Before the Pause” shines a light on perimenopause through real women’s stories — teachers, firefighters, and doctors — showing how silence and stigma derail lives, and why early awareness is essential to protect women’s health, work, and identity.
“The M Factor 2: Before the Pause” premieres on March 19th, 2026.
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More Women’s History Month Documentaries You Can Stream
Stream these documentaries that profile amazing women from all walks of life, who have bettered the lives of their communities and beyond. Check out our full Women’s History Month playlist on the PBS App, featured all through the month of March.
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Now PlayingThe Disappearance of Miss Scott
Full Length | 83m 25s |
Learn about jazz artist Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own TV show.
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Now PlayingRoberta Flack
Full Length | 83m 43s |
Discover music icon Roberta Flack’s rise to stardom and triumphs over racism and sexism.
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Now PlayingJacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy
Full Length | 85m 40s | Introduced and narrated by grammy-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma, “Jacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy,” tells the story Jacqueline du Pré and her enigmatic genius, one of the greatest cellists of all time.
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Now PlayingFly with Me
Full Length | 112m 39s | Fly With Me tells the story of the pioneering women who became flight attendants at a time when single women were unable to order a drink, eat alone in a restaurant, own a credit card or get a prescription for birth control. The job offered unheard-of opportunities for travel and independence. These women were on the frontlines of the battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace.
Spotlight on Women Who Made Music History
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt has changed lives. It’s a fact, it’s not up for debate. When she released her mariachi album “Canciones de Mi Padre” in 1987, Ronstadt had already dominated the rock scene, the country scene, and the all the good-music-worth-listening-to scene. She demonstrated how someone could show all the different parts of themselves with pride when she put her Mexican heritage on display and recorded the Spanish-language mariachi album. If she was ever considered a mere pop singer, her ear for good songs in across rock, pop, country, and folk dispelled that notion. Her ability to move in and out of genres, to work with the best artists in the business, to pour lyrics directly into our hearts when she sang, and to insist on making music that represented all of her culture is why we love her. Oh, and that album of traditional Mexican songs, “Canciones de Mi Padre,” went double platinum, selling over 2.5 million copies and won a Grammy Award. It remains the top selling non-English language album in U.S. history. We love Linda Ronstadt.
And for those of us of a certain age, we remember watching the Great Performances special she recorded for “Canciones de Mi Padre.” We couldn’t all go see her perform live in full mariachi charro dress but PBS brought the stunning show to us and hearts filled with awe and pride. The love she gave with that album lives on.
In this 2020 tribute concert from Southland Sessions, Ronstadt’s hits are sung by artists she influenced, including La Marisoul and Aida Cuevas.
Liza Minnelli
In “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” from American Masters, take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in “Cabaret.” Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz. And don’t forget, it’s Liza with a Z.
Stream “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” now on PBS.org and the PBS app.
Add to Your WatchlistJanis Ian
In “Janis Ian: Breaking the Silence,” discover the life of singer-songwriter Janis Ian and how she rose as a folk icon and gay rights advocate. She broke ground with “Society’s Child” (1966), a bold take on interracial love, and “At Seventee” (1975), a searing anthem about bullying.
Stream “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence” now on PBS.org and the PBS app.
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8 Short Films About History-Making Women
Watch these eight short films about incredible women who made remarkable changes in their fields and communities. Stream these and more from American Masters.
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Now PlayingCrystal Labeija: The Queen Who Reinvented Ball Culture
Full Length | 5m 38s | A proud Black trans woman, a drag mother and, a pageant girl, Crystal LaBeija was the cause of an iconic moment in drag history that paved the way for house culture, voguing, Paris is Burning, and the TV series Pose.
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Now PlayingThe First Black Woman to Run for Vice President of The U.S.
Full Length | 12m 32s | Charlotta Spears Bass (1874-1969) one of the first African American women to own and operate a newspaper, and the first African American woman to run for Vice President of the United States, crusaded for over 40 years against racial violence, and discrimination in schools, housing, and the job market, in the pages of the California Eagle.
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Now PlayingQueen Lili‘uokalani - The First and Last Queen of Hawai‘i
Full Length | 12m 14s | Queen Lili‘uokalani (1838-1917) was the first sovereign queen, and the last monarch of Hawai‘i, who assumed the throne in the midst of a government takeover by American business owners supported by the U.S. military. After being deposed and placed under house arrest, she fought to preserve native Hawaiian rights and traditions.
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Now PlayingThe First American Indian Doctor
Full Length | 11m 37s | Susan La Flesche Picotte became the first American Indian woman to graduate from medical school, and is notable for founding an independently funded hospital on the Omaha reservation in Nebraska.
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Now PlayingShe was a leader of the American labor movement
Full Length | 10m 59s | Rose Schneiderman began working in a factory at age 16, and after experiencing unsafe work conditions and unequal pay first-hand, helped organize an all-women’s chapter of a hat makers’ union. She became president of the National Women’s Trade Union League, and an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, informing many of his New Deal labor policies.
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Now PlayingThe First American-Born Chinese Woman Doctor
Full Length | 10m 18s | Margaret Chung (1889-1959) overcame great racism and sexism to become the first American-born Chinese female doctor in 1916. She also helped establish WAVES, the women’s naval reserves, paving the way for women’s integration into the U.S armed forces.
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Now PlayingShe was an American Cinema Pioneer
Full Length | 12m 12s | Lois Weber was an early film pioneer as the first American woman to direct a full-length feature film in 1913, and one of the first directors to own her own film studio. Infused with the conviction that film could change culture, she directed over 135 films about controversial subject matters such as capital punishment, police violence, birth control, and poverty.
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Now PlayingThis Astronomer Discovered Over 300 Stars During Her Career
Full Length | 9m 34s | Williamina Fleming went from doing domestic work to being appointed the Curator of Astronomical Photographs at the Harvard College Observatory, making her the first woman to hold a title at Harvard University. She is credited with discovering 10 novae, over 300 variable stars, and 59 gaseous nebulae.
The Fight for Women’s Voting Rights
The passage of the 19th Amendment on June 4, 1919, and subsequent ratification on August 18, 1920, marked a difficult and decades long movement to grant women right to vote. And still, that essential right to vote was kept from women of color even after the 19th Amendment became the law of the land. These documentaries shine a light on the women who dedicated their lives to cause of women’s suffrage. Hear stories about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, and so many more brave women who continued to raise their voices for equality.
6 Surprising Facts About the 19th Amendment
The Origin of Everything looks back on the long road to ratification for the 19th Amendment, explaining how the Seneca Falls Convention wasn’t seen as important at the time and how some of the most famous suffragists of the time wrote a whole history book to ensure they were remembered.
Editor’s Note: This page provides information about a variety of PBS shows and documentaries you can watch. It is updated regularly as new programs become available or are no longer available to stream on PBS.org or the PBS app.
