From the surprisingly complex Patty and Selma to the self-assured Luann Van Houten to the shining beacon of hope for humanity that is Lisa Simpson, The Simpsons has a handful of great female characters that have endured for the series’ decades-long run. As with most TV shows from the 1980s, the cast of The Simpsons is very male-dominated. There are dozens of male characters populating Springfield – like Moe, Barney, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Reverend Lovejoy, and Krusty the Clown, to name just a few – but much fewer female characters alongside them.

But that doesn’t mean The Simpsons is entirely bereft of strong female characters. Some of the strongest, funniest, and most lovable characters in The Simpsons’ sprawling ensemble are women, from main characters in the titular family to standout supporting players. Edna Krabappel has gotten in her fair share of wisecracks in her long-standing rivalry with Bart, Homer’s long-lost mother Mona turned out to be a badass revolutionary who left her life behind to take down unscrupulous bigwigs like Mr. Burns, and Lisa Simpson is a role model that everyone can look up to.

RELATED: 22 The Simpsons Characters Who Deserved The Lost Spinoff Show

10 Agnes Skinner

The mother that Principal Skinner still lives with (although he insists that she lives with him, not the other way around) has been framed by The Simpsons as Norma to his Norman Bates. Agnes Skinner is a hilarious caricature of cranky elderly people who complain about everything, and mothers who have no problem with embarrassing their kids (Agnes calls her adult son “Spanky” when they’re out in public together). While Agnes might not be the most likable Simpsons character, she never fails to get a laugh when she appears on-screen.

9 Lindsey Naegle

The character who would eventually become Lindsey Naegle first appeared in season 8, episode 14, “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show,” where she was identified only as “Generic Female TV Executive.” She reappeared a couple more times as a generic female TV executive before being given an official name. Lindsey has become The Simpsons’ catch-all satire of feisty, high-strung professional women. She has held all kinds of jobs throughout the show’s run, from an OmniTouch rep to a Laramie Cigarettes executive to an anti-youth activist, and she perfectly lampoons the emptiness and vapidness of the modern corporate culture.

8 Selma Bouvier

Marge’s sister Selma’s history of failed marriages has become a running joke in The Simpsons. When she married Sideshow Bob, he tried to kill her. When she married Troy McClure, it turned out to be a sham marriage to keep Troy’s face in the tabloids. Selma has been divorced so many times that her surname is now Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discothèque-Simpson-D’Amico. Ultimately, Selma is a lonely character who wants to find the right person and seems to only ever find the wrong people, which makes her painfully relatable, and one of The Simpsons’ most three-dimensional characters.

7 Luann Van Houten

Milhouse’s mother, Luann Van Houten, is one of The Simpsons’ most self-assured and confident characters. In season 8, episode 6, “A Milhouse Divided,” after a heated argument in front of all their friends at a Simpson dinner party, Luann made the difficult but advisable decision to break up with her husband Kirk. While Kirk never managed to get back on his feet after the divorce, Luann was living her best life almost instantly. She enjoyed the freedom of single life, she dated a handsome stuntman, and she had a lot more time and energy to put into raising Milhouse.

6 Maggie Simpson

The Simpsons’ baby daughter, Maggie, has barely said a word throughout the series’ entire run. But she’s still one of the show’s funniest and most lovable characters. She might just be an infant, but Maggie is one of The Simpsons’ most badass characters. In season 11, episode 6, “Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder,” Maggie swam out into the ocean and saved Homer’s life. In season 7, episode 1, “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two,” Maggie is revealed to be the shooter. No one else in Springfield had the nerve to stand up to the town’s most evil resident – but the baby did.

5 Edna Krabappel

Bart’s long-standing rivalry with his teacher Edna Krabappel is one of the funniest and most endearing running threads in The Simpsons. The rare times when Bart and Edna get along are among the show’s most heartwarming moments. From her on-and-off romance with Principal Skinner to her marriage to Ned Flanders, Edna was a jaded, lovelorn character who minimized her sense of optimism but always hoped to be swept off her feet. The character was respectfully retired after the passing of voice actor Marcia Wallace, and she was remembered with a heartfelt Simpsons chalkboard gag: “We’ll really miss you, Mrs. K.”

4 Mona Simpson

Homer finally reunited with his long-lost mother Mona in season 7, episode 8, “Mother Simpson.” As it turns out, she left Homer to join an anti-capitalist revolution in the 1960s. She had to go on the run after being identified by Mr. Burns during an anarchist raid on one of his laboratories. Mona can be seen as the source of Lisa’s fiery passion and fiercely progressive attitudes. Glenn Close gave a brilliant guest performance as Mona in “Mother Simpson” and continued to delight whenever the character would reappear. She made a more than welcome addition to the Simpson clan.

3 Patty Bouvier

Marge’s other sister, Patty, has been given a surprising amount of character development since her debut. At first, like Selma, Patty was defined entirely by her chain-smoking, her work at the D.M.V., and her passionate hatred of Homer. However, over the years, Patty has evolved to have a lot more empathy and compassion for Homer, and she’s come to terms with her sexuality and identifies as a lesbian. Much like Selma, there’s a lot more depth to Patty than it initially seems.

2 Marge Simpson

In most sitcoms, the matriarch’s job is simply to roll her eyes at her husband’s wacky antics while she singlehandedly raises the kids and does the housework. Marge does do the vast majority of the housework and the child-rearing in the Simpson household, but that’s not all the show gives her to do. Marge isn’t just the voice of reason; she has plenty of hilarious moments of her own, like trying to give Bart potatoes for show-and-tell because “I just think they’re neat.” She also has plenty of touching moments where she comforts the other Simpsons when they’re at their lowest.

1 Lisa Simpson

By far the greatest female character in The Simpsons – and one of the most lovable and inspirational characters in all of pop culture – is Lisa Simpson. At just eight years old, Lisa is a million times smarter, stronger, more ambitious, and more accomplished than most of the other people in Springfield. Lisa represents the opposite of everything Homer represents; she fights for social justice, she’s an ethical consumer, she’s really, really clever, and she’s destined to become the President of the United States one day.