I have to write about the influences for change has been incremental including women activist since the colonial period - can you help me

This is fairly broad.  Leaving the Colonial period, I
think that there are many examples from which you can choose.  Women like Sojourner
Truth, Lucretia Mott, as well as Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony would be
excellent examples of women who laid down influences for activism on the level of
gender.  I think that you need to be a bit more specific as to what kind of women
activist for whom you are searching.  I think that being able to explore the different
types of activism would be a start.  What type of activism are you looking for in your
research?  There are many, such as political, economic, social, or psychological forms
of active resistance, to name a couple.  I think that being able to identify what type
of woman activist you seek might be a good starting point in assessing your needs for
this work and such a topic.