Although the United States has yet to have a female president, there are many other countries who have had female leaders. In a way, it almost makes it seem as though the United States is behind on the times, even though we claim to be one of the most equal countries in the entire world. Here are just a few of the countries who have had female leaders.
Chile currently has a female president named Michelle Bachelet. In terms of politics, Bachelet is center-left. She won the presidency in 2006, when she ran against the former male senator, Sebastian Pinera. One of her main goals was to decrease the large gap between the poor and rich of Chile.
South Korea is another one of the countries that has had a female leader. Han Myeong-sook was the first female Prime Minister of the country. She was elected in 2006 but resigned from office in 2007.
Finland currently has a female president. Her name is Tarja Halonen. Interestingly enough, Halonen is only the eleventh president that Finland has had so far. She is a far left politician and beat the conservative opponent that she had in 2000.
Germany also currently has a female leader. Angela Merkel is the Chancellor of Germany. She is the first woman to ever hold this position. At one point, Angela Merkel was also considered to be the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.
Ireland’s current president is Mary McAleese. One of the things that sets McAleese apart from most of the female presidents in other countries is that she is the first woman to be elected into office immediately after another woman. This makes her the second female president of Ireland. Mary Robinson was the first female president in Ireland.
Jamaica has had a female leader in the past. Portia Simpson-Miller was the country’s Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007. Simpson-Miller was the first Prime Minister of Jamaica. Currently, this woman is the Leader of Opposition for Jamaica.
Bangladesh has had a Prime Minister who was a female. Her name was Khaleda Zia. She served between the years of 1991 and 1996, as well as 2001 and 2006. She is actually one of the rules who had the longest term in Bangladesh. She has been ranked as one of the top 100 most powerful women in the world at one point. Her husband, Ziaur Rahman, was the President of Bangladesh and was assassinated.
As you can see, there are quite a few countries who have had female leaders. Some of the other countries who have had female leaders include the Philippines, Liberia, and Latvia. Although the United States has yet to elect a female president, there are many countries out there who have. It must look interesting since the United States claims to be the land of opportunity when, ultimately, there seem to be opportunities for women throughout the entire world that may be even more fair than what one would find in America.
