Women have flown and worked in outer space since almost the beginning of human
spaceflight. A considerable number of women from a range of countries have
worked in space, though overall women are still significantly less often
chosen to go to space than men, and by June, 2020 constitute only 12% of all
astronauts who have been to space. Yet, the proportion of women among space
travelers is increasing substantially over time.
The first woman to fly in space was Soviet Valentina Tereshkova, aboard the
Vostok 6 space capsule on June 16–19, 1963.