Polyxeni Loizia

Polyxeni Loizia (1855—1942), was a Cypriotic feminist.[1] She was a pioneering figure in the feminism and women's movement in Cyprus.

She was educated in Constantinople and Smyrna.

In 1860, she was employed as the principal of the Limassol School for Girls, which was founded one year prior as the first school for higher education for women in Cyprus. At that point, most women were illiterate and it was not until 1895 that the British introduced a public school system, and most Cypriotic families outside of the elite upper class long opposed education for girls.[2] She expanded the educational opportunities for women on Cyprus: as an author, she participated in the public debate in favor of education and a professional life for women; and as a principal, she fulfilled these reforms by sending students to study in universities in Greece when women were allowed to study in university level here (university education not being available for women in Cyprus), and by starting educational courses for adult women teachers in her school.[3]

She has also been referred to as the first female author on modern Cyprus.