Amy Sherman-Palladino has based her television career around telling women’s stories, most memorably in the beloved series Gilmore Girls.

Jill Soloway’s mixture of curiosity and empathy for unusual characters, from funeral directors to people suffering from multiple personality disorder, earned her multiple Emmy awards for her creation of Transparent.

Part of the first generation of postwar writers in Germany, Katja Behrens grapples with the often difficult relationship between German Jews and the majority.

Linda Lavin won a Tony for her work in theater, but was best known for her Emmy-winning lead role in the television show Alice.

Lena Dunham became the first woman to win a Director’s Guild Award for Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series for her HBO series Girls, for which she writes, directs, produces and plays the lead character.