Our world is rapidly changing and in recent years, more women are becoming engaged in politics and are becoming widely accepted as leaders of nations. It’s a thing of beauty to see the changes in gender roles, and even though there’s still a long way to go, the progress is nothing short of incredible.
There
178 heads of state in the world and 13 out of the 178 are women.
Currently,
the United States of America is on the verge of a change in power and the
front-runner for the democratic party is perhaps one of the most influential
women in the world. Hillary Clinton is certainly a favorite for the seat
at the White House and if she wins, she will not merely be the leader of the
free world, but also the most powerful woman in the world.
We’ve
seen the likes of great female leaders in the past such as Margaret Thatcher
who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1979
to November 1990. Women have proved time and time again that they are more
than fit to serve and to lead.
In
no particular order, we made a list of 7 current female presidents in the
world.
·
President Dilma
Rousseff
Dilma
Rouseff is the first female president and current leader of Brazil. Also deemed
as Brazil’s “Iron Lady”, she is definitely one of the most powerful women in
the world. Rouseff assumed power in 2011 and most recently won a chance at
leading the popular South American country for a second term. Dilma went
through being tortured and in prison back when the country was ruled by the
military in 1970.
·
President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf
The
name Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf shouts out history in many ways than one. She is the
World’s first elected black female president and Africa’s first elected female
head of state. Johnson-Sirleaf became the president of Liberia in January 2006
and currently seats on the country’s top seat. Being the first at anything
speaks a lot about power and bravery.
·
President Catherine Samba-Panza
Catherine
Samba-Panza is the current president of the Central African Republic. She took
office in January 2014 and has been tasked with saving the country. In her
words,
“I think the presence of a woman at
the head of the state in today’s context is fundamental.”
·
President Simonetta Sommaruga
Simonetta
Sommaruga is the current president of Switzerland.
·
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
Kolinda
Grabr-Kitarovic is the current and first female president of Croatia.
·
President Park Geun-hye
Park
Geun-hye is the current and first female president of South Korea. According
to Forbes, Geun-hye is the 11th most powerful woman in
the world. Leading the world’s 14th largest economy is a pretty big deal.
·
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner was the previous and 2nd female president of Argentina.
She is also the first ELECTED and re-elected female president. A video of
her dancing at a campaign rally has been watched over 200,00 on YouTube. Pretty
interesting right.