Meet the Planet’s 13 Women Leaders September 7, 2010ArchivesOff

Close, but no cigar. The U.S. Will have to wait at least four more years for another shot at electing a woman as president. Meanwhile, many of our world neighbors are way ahead in the game.

By Taylor Mallory

Just last year, Moldova elected its first woman president. And in 2007, Argentina, Bosnia and India joined the list of countries with woman presidents or prime ministers. Now, of 195 nations, 13 (or 6.7 percent) are run by women — up from 5.6 percent in 2004. Abysmal, yes. But the next tier is much more promising. Thirty-one countries (or 16.1 percent) have woman vice presidents or deputy prime ministers — nearly double the 8.2 percent in 2004.

When it comes to women in politics, Irene Natividad, president of the Global Summit of Women, says the U.S. Has a lot to learn from Spain and (hold on to your hats, ladies) Rwanda. Spain, led by a male president and female vice president, has reached gender equity through policy — requiring that women make up 50 percent of its cabinet and 50 percent of all company boards. Rwanda, which has the highest percentage of women in parliament, “found equity through sheer need for survival,” Natividad says. In the genocide-ravaged country, the government and economy are depending on women survivors to rebuild the country. “Now little boys in Rwanda will grow up with a different respect for their mothers, sisters and daughters — and the attitude toward women leaders will change,” she says. But don’t pack up and head east just yet. “Things can be changed,” Natividad says. How? First, make a statement with your vote. “When all other things, like experience and values, are equal, opt for the woman.” Ultimately, it comes down to personal responsibility. “Women must take the banner for change themselves instead of just saying ‘It’s not fair,’” she says.

Michelle Bachelet

President of Chile

Since 2006 Socially conservative, primarily Catholic Chile chose a surprising leader in Bachelet, an atheist single mother and the nation’s first woman president.

Cristina E. Fernández De Kirchner

President of Argentina Since 2007

The second woman president of Argentina (though the first to be elected), this former senator and first lady became the first to succeed her husband as a president.

Tarja Kaarina Halonen

President of Finland Since 2000

Finland’s first woman head of state, Halonen has been a major player in Finnish politics since 1974, serving on many parliamentary boards and holding four ministry positions.

Luisa Diogo

Prime Minister of Mozambique Since 2004

Diogo, Mozambique’s first woman head of government, previously served as minister of planning and finance.

Zinaida Grecianîi

Prime Minister of Moldova Since 2008

Formerly Moldova’s minister of finances, Grecianîi is the nation’s first woman prime minister.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

President of Liberia Since 2006

Liberia’s first democratically elected president, Johnson-Sirleaf – a harvard-educated economist and former World Bank official – is also its first woman head of state.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President of The Philippines

Since 2001 The daughter of a former president, Macapagal-Arroyo served as vice president before becoming the second female president.

Angela Merkel

Chancellor of Germany Since 2005

Merkel, who has a doctorate in physics, is the first woman to lead Germany since it became a modern nation-state in 1871.

Michele Pierre-Louis

Prime Minister of Haiti Since 2008

Pierre-Louis, an economist, became Haiti’s second woman prime minister in 2008. She previously headed a foundation providing libraries, youth education and women’s networks.

Borjana Kristo

President of The Federation of Bosnia Since 2007

Kristo, a lawyer, is the first woman vice president in her region. She was formerly minister of justice and vice president of the parliament.

Mary McAleese

President of Ireland Since 1997

When McAleese took office, she became Ireland’s second female president and the first woman in world history to succeed another woman as an elected head of state.

Pratibha Patil

President of India Since 2007

Serving in a number of ministry positions before becoming India’s first woman president, Patil was most recently the first woman governor of Rajasthan.

Yulia Tymoshenko

Prime Minister of Ukraine Since 2006

Tymoshenko, a trained economist and formerly a businesswoman in the gas industry, is Ukraine’s first female prime minister.

This article originally appeared in the Febuary.March 2009 issue of PINK Magazine.

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