Female World Leaders
Is USA ready for a Female President?
The 21st Century will see a rapid expansion of female leadership in countries around the world. As global educational standards allow more opportunities for education and knowledge, women are taking their rightful place as competent political world leaders. Below is a list of 19 Female World Leaders that will set a new standard for future generations of women to admire and follow after in a new global arena:
List of Current Female Heads of Government and State
President de Kircher is the Second First Lady who became President. Eva Peron, second wife of President Juan Peron served as President of Argentina in 1974 to 1976 following her husband's death.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Argentine Republic
Form of Government: Federal System
- Elected on 10 December 2007
- Her late husband was the former President of Argentina and died of heart attack on October 28, 2010.
- Holds a Degree in Law from the National University of La Plata
- de Kirchner has worked tirelessly in Argentina to reform economic and social policies to help the poorest members of society achieve economic prosperity, often dealing with internal political squabbling.
- Argentina is one of the growing economies in Latin America and has proven resilient in dealing with the current global economic crisis.
- de Kirchner was reelected last month to another term as Argentina's President, achieving a historical winning margin over her election rival.
Julia Gillard, Australia
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Commonwealth of Australia
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
- Elected on June 24, 2010
- Holding a bachelor's degree in Arts and Law.
- Leading the Labor Party, Gillard has had a long career in public service. Active in foreign affairs, Gillard has worked closely with the United States in Afghanistan and enjoys popular support in domestic affairs with the Australian public.
Sheik Hasina Wajed, Bangladesh
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Elected on 06 January 2009
- One of only a few survivors after an assassination attempt killed seventeen members of her family, Wajed went on to have a successful, yet tumultuous political career. A second assassination attempt failed to take her life. Wajed faces the challenge of operating in a very corrupt political environment. Her constant efforts at reforming Bangladesh are slowly improving government practices.
Dilma Rousseff, Brazil
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil
Form of Government: Federal Republic
- Elected on 01 January 2011
- With a degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
- As Leader of the Workers' Party in the world's fourth largest democracy, Rousseff is a tireless advocate of women's rights. A self-described social capitalist, she works to provide more freedom in the marketplace while also ensuring protection for workers and impoverished citizens across Brazil.
- Brazil is currently the 7th largest economy in the world. Its innovations in agriculture and renewable energy has enabled Brazil to achieve food security and produce 45% of its energy needs via renewable energy sources such as hydro-power, bio-mass and biofuels. It's economic growth and resiliency has been remarkable and it is now acknowledged as a growing major player in global affairs.
Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Costa Rica
Form of Government: Constitutional Democracy
- Elected on May 8, 2010
- Awarded master's degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University
- As leader of the National Liberation Party in Costa Rica, Chinchilla is working to reduce crime and promote an economic environment favorable to business expansion that will improve standards of living for all people in Costa Rica.
Jadranka Kosor, Croatia
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Republic of Croatia
Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Kosor is the First Woman Prime Minister of Croatia
- Assumed office on 06 July 2009
- She started out as a Journalist and Lawyer.
- She wrote two books about the Croatian War of Independence, and two books of poetry. She won awards from the Croatian Journalist Association and from the European Community for Humanitarian work.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Kingdom of Denmark
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
- Elected on 03 October 2011
- Leader of Social Democrat Party
- Earned a Master's Degree in European Studies
- As a mother and full-time leader of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt has helped her country deal with the persistent issue of economic instability that is affecting Europe in general and Denmark in particular. She led her party by taking radical steps to increase taxes on the wealthy and increase social spending programs.
Female World Leaders Who've Been in Power for Less than a Year
Tarja Halonen, Finland
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Finland
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
- Elected on March 1, 2000
- Awarded master's degree in Law from the University of Helsinki
- Leader of the Social Democratic Party, Halonen has worked in politics for many years and is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. This organization works to encourage women leaders around the world to support collective actions promoting equality and economic development in developing countries.
Angela Merkel, Germany
Title: Chancellor
Country's Official Name: Federal Republic of Germany
Form of Government: Federal Republic
- Elected on 22 November 2005
- Leader of Christian Democratic Union Party
- Earned a Doctorate in Quantum Chemistry from the University of Leipzig in 1990.
- Merkel became involved in politics in the early 1990s and quickly gained distinction for being able to work with many different political groups across the German political spectrum. She is currently working within Germany and across Europe to address the growing fiscal crisis that threatens the European Union.
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Iceland
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Republic of Iceland
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
- Elected on February 1, 2009
- Leader of Social Democratic Alliance Party
- Capitalizing on the failures of the previous administration, Siguroardottir has won eight elections to office in a row. At age sixty eight, she is the only openly gay political leader in the world.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil, India
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of India
Form of Government: Parliamentary System
· Elected on 19 July 2007 and took office as India's First Woman President on 25 July 2007.
· She holds a Masters degree on Political Science and a Practicing lawyer.
· Patil started her political career at age 27 in 1967. She actively worked to help women, children, the poor and underprivileged in her society, but especially for uplifting poor women. After becoming President she said "I am deeply committed to the cause of education and would like to see every person, man, woman, boy and girl, be touched by the light of modern education. Empowerment of women is particularly important to me as I believe this leads to the empowerment of the Nation."
Atifete Jahjaga, Kosovo
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Kosovo
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
- First Woman President of Kosovo and elected into office on 04 July 2011
- The youngest Female World Leader to be elected, born on 20 April 1975
- In her speech to Parliament she said "The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the European Union and a permanent friendship with the United States. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true."
Roza Otunbayeva, Kyrgyzstan
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
- Otunbayeva is the First woman President in Kyrgyzstan
- Sworn into office on 03 July 2010
- She started her career as a Second Secretary for the Communist Party in 1981.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Liberia
Form of Government: Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic
- Elected on January 16, 2006
- Awarded Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University
- Leader of the Unity Party, Sirleaf continues her efforts to unite the people of Liberia under the common cause of prosperity and equal rights for all. She has greatly expanded economic opportunities and educational options for young people in the country.
Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Republic of Lithuania
Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Elected July 12, 2009
- Awarded PhD in Political Science from the Academy of Social Sciences of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- As Lithuania's First Female President and political leader, Grybauskaite is often referred to as the “Iron Lady” for her toughness under pressure and unceasing energy. She is working to modernize the economy of Lithuania and create an educational system that will prepare citizens for work in the global marketplace.
Iveta Radicova, Slovakia
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Slovak Republic
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
- The first woman Prime Minister of Slovakia
- Sworn into office on 08 July 2010
- Radicova was the first woman named as a Professor of Sociology at Comenius University in 2005.
- She started her political career in 1990 as Spokesperson for The Public against Violence movement.
Micheline Anne-Marie Calmy-Rey, Switzerland
Title: President
Country's Official Name: Swiss Confederation
Form of Government: Federal State
- She is the second woman to hold this office and assumed office on 01 January 2011
- Calmy-Rey is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
- Elected on August 5, 2011
- Leader of Pheu Thai Party
- Holding a Master's degree in Public Administration from Kentucky State University in 1991;
- Left her successful career in business to head up the Pheu Thai Party in 2011. Shinawatra is working to increase living standards among the poor in Thailand raising the minimum wage, providing government funded wireless service throughout the country and providing school aged youngsters with tablet PCs; and
- Younger sister of Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted from Office in a military coup d'état in 2006.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad and Tobago
Title: Prime Minister
Country's Official Name: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Elected on May 26, 2010
- Awarded master's degree in Business Administration from the Arthur Lock Jack Graduate School of Business
- Leading the United National Congress Party Persad-Bisessar works in a trying and difficult political environment and must struggle with divergent coalitions to enact political and social reforms.
Demographics of Female World Leaders
Continent
| Country
| Female Leader
|
---|---|---|
Africa
| Liberia
| Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
|
Asia
| Bangladesh
| Sheikh Hasina Wajed
|
India
| Pratibha Patil
| |
Thailand
| Yingluck Shinawatra
| |
Europe
| Croatia
| Jadranka Kosor
|
Denmark
| Helle Thorning-Schmidt
| |
Finland
| Tarja Halonen
| |
Germany
| Angela Merkel
| |
Iceland
| Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
| |
Switzerland
| Micheline Calmy-Rey
| |
Kosovo
| Atifete Jahjaga
| |
Kyrgyzstan
| Roza Otunbayeva
| |
Lithuania
| Dalia Grybauskaitė
| |
Slovakia
| Iveta Radicova
| |
North America
| Costa Rica
| Laura Chinchilla Miranda
|
Trinidad and Tobago
| Kamla Persad-Bissessar
| |
Oceania
| Australia
| Julia Gillard
|
South America
| Argentina
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
|
Brazil
| Dilma Rousseff
|