Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Afghan journalist Zahra Joya were among the 12 women named as TIME Magazine’s first-ever “Women of the Year” on Thursday.

Other women on the list include actress Kerry Washington, singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves, software engineer Tracy Chou, British midwife Jennie Joseph, poet Amanda Gorman, athlete Allyson Felix, Nasdaq chief executive Adena Friedman, lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and trans actress Michaela Jae Rodriguez.

"Our 2022 Women of the Year list features 12 individuals who have reached across communities, generations and borders to fight for a more inclusive and equitable world," TIME magazine said.

“Women of the Year” is a first of its kind list. According to the magazine, “it’s our way of correcting the record.” In 1999, TIME Magazine renamed its ‘Man of the Year’ to ‘Person of the Year’ but still only a few women ever made it on the list. One was German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015, and the other was environmental activist Greta Thunberg in 2019.

In 2020, the magazine created 100 Women of the Year list, which included women representatives from 1920 to 2019.

Known for her work on the Yazidi victims of the ISIS in Iraq, Clooney told Filipina journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa in an interview that she wants to improve the system. “I’m guided by what I’m really outraged about and what I think I can actually try to influence. And it may be that I can only influence things one case at a TIME, but ultimately, the plan is always to try and improve the system.”

Afghan journalist Joy, who was profiled by Angelina Jolie for the magazine, is the founder of Rukhshana Media, a news outlet that amplifies the stories of women in Afghanistan.

The now 29-year-old, used to dress up as a boy to go to school under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the 1990s. “We don’t do simple journalism these days,” said Joya. “We are trying to write for our freedom.

"Until they protect women’s rights, the Taliban should not be recognised as a government by the international community."

Actress Kerry Washington shared her reaction on being featured on the list on Twitter.

“The best part of being on the TIME Women of the Year list is making my mom proud,” Said Tracy Chou.