worlds famous women leaders

World's Famous Women Leaders

In spite of the various challenges that women face, there have been many famous leaders in the world. Even though some countries are not favorable, or were not favorable to having women leader, this trend is changing, and women leaders are becoming more common these days. Given in the article below are some of the world's famous women leaders, who have made a great impact on society...

Margaret Thatcher
Angela Merkel
Benazir Bhutto
Cristina Fernandez Kirchner
Dilma Rousseff
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Helen Clark
Julia Gillard
Mary Robinson
Megawati Sokarnoputri
Micheline Calmy-Rey
Michelle Bachelet
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Tarja Halonen
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Here, we will be discussing five famous women leaders, namely - Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Angela Merkel, Benazir Bhutto and Rosa Parks. Margaret Thatcher As a student, Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry and law. When she became the education minister, she met resistance from student revolutionaries. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister of United Kingdom for more than eleven years (three terms). She was a conservative whose diplomacy facilitated the breakup of Soviet Union, which helped end the Cold War. She was also a hardcore capitalist, who reduced government spending and was all for deregulation and privatization. She gained popularity when she waged a war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands. During her third term, her tax policy was not liked by many. She also strongly opposed the European Community because she felt it interfered with the UK's sovereignty and would cause problems that came with big government. She had to contend with opposition from the miners' unions and the Irish Republican Army (IRA). She was a great orator and has become one of the most notable, historical figures, as the first woman to lead a political party in any European country. Indira Gandhi Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India for three terms (14 years). Jawaharlal Nehru, her father, was the first prime minister of India. Her policy of Garibi Hatao (Abolish Poverty) was instrumental in her victory in the 1971 elections. She won the war against Pakistan, after which she enforced a state of emergency in India. This move made her most unpopular with the Indian masses, and was the reason why she lost the following elections. After coming back into power, Indira Gandhi somehow earned the hatred of Sikhs. She authorized an attack on the Golden Temple, a Sikh place of worship, in Punjab, acting on intelligence information that terrorists were hiding there. In a retaliatory action, her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. Angela Merkel Angela Merkel was born on July 17, 1954. She is the current head of the government in Germany. She is the president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), since April 10, 2000, and the president of the CDU-CSU grouping, which is an alliance between CDU and its sister party, Christian Social Union of Bavaria. She is also a leader of the coalition of CSU and Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She is also the president of the European Council and chairperson of the G8. Concerning the internal affairs of Germany, she is directly involved in the matters of health policy and energy policy. In 2008, she was number 1 in Forbes magazine's list of 100 most powerful women in the world. She was awarded the Charlemagne Prize in 2008, for her contribution towards betterment of the European Union. Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto was a politician who presided over the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a progressive party in Pakistan. Bhutto was the first female head of a Muslim country. She served as prime minister of Pakistan for two terms. She was a Sindhi and a Shia Muslim. Both her terms ended when she was abruptly removed from power for reasons of corruption. She received a pardon from President Musharraf for her corruption wrongdoings. She was assassinated at a gathering organized by PPP during the 2008 election. Rosa Parks Rosa Parks was a civil rights leader, who fought for the freedom of the black citizens of United States. In 1955, Parks disobeyed a busman's command to vacate her bus seat to create space for a white passenger. This triggered the 'Montgomery Bus Boycott', a movement against the racial discrimination in buses. The movement led to a decrease in income for the public transport and this caused the law to be changed, making racial segregation illegal. Rosa Parks became an important icon of civil rights protests. She joined hands with Martin Luther King. Rosa Parks got awards from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the United States Congress. She wrote an autobiography titled Rosa Parks: My Story. She died in 2005 at the age of 92. Women Leaders in the Last Century In addition to the famous leaders above, here is a list of women who have been leaders of their respective countries. Surprisingly, the list is quite long, with many of us not knowing how many women leaders there have been. The following list is sorted alphabetically, and gives the details of the women leaders of the last century. Though there have been other famous women leaders, they have not been the heads of state, and hence have not been included in the list given below.
Name Post Held Country
Agatha Barbara 1923 - 2002 President Malta
Agathe Uwilingiyimana 1953 - 1994 Prime Minister Rwanda
Angela Merkel* 1954 - Chancellor Germany
Beatriz Merino 1947 - Prime Minister Peru
Benazir Bhutto 1953 - 2007 Prime Minister Pakistan
Borjana Kristo 1961 - President Bosnia and Herzegovina
Carmen Pereira 1937 - Acting President Guinea Bissau
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga 1945 - President Sri Lanka
Claudette Werleigh 1946 - Prime Minister Haiti
Corazon Aquino 1933 - 2009 President Philippines
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner*1953 - President Argentina
Dalia Grybauskaite* 1956 - President Lithuania
Dame Eugenia Charles 1919 - 2005 Prime Minister Dominica
Dilma Rousseff* 1947 - President Brazil
Edith Cresson 1934 - Prime Minister France
Elisabeth Domitien 1925 - 2005 Prime Minister Central African Republic
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf* 1938 - President Liberia
Ertha Pascal Trouillot 1943 - Interim President Haiti
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo 1947 - President Philippines
Golda Meir 1898 - 1978 Prime Minister Israel
Gro Harlem Brundtland 1939 - Prime Minister Norway
Han Myung-sook 1944 - Prime Minister South Korea
Hanna Suchocka 1946 - Prime Minister Poland
Helen Clark 1950 - Prime Minister New Zealand
Indira Gandhi 1917 - 1984 Prime Minister India
Isabel Peron 1931 - President Argentina
Janet Jagan 1920 - 2009 Prime Minister Guyana
Jennifer M. Smith 1947 - Prime Minister Bermuda
Jenny Shipley 1952 - Prime Minister New Zealand
Julia Gillard* 1961 - Prime Minister Australia
Kamla Persad Bissessar* 1952 - Prime Minister Trinidad and Tobago
Kazimiera Danuta Prunskiene1943 - Prime Minister Lithuania
Khaleda Zia 1977 - 1981 Prime Minister Bangladesh
Kim Campbell 1947 Prime Minister Canada
Laura Chinchilla* 1959 President Costa Rica
Lidia Gueiler Tejada 1921 - 2011 Prime Minister Bolivia
Luisa Diogo 1958 - Prime Minister Mozambique
Mame Madior Boye 1940 - Prime Minister Senegal
Margaret Thatcher 1925 - Prime Minister Great Britain
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo 1930 - 2004 Prime Minister Portugal
Maria das Neves 1958 - Prime Minister Sao Tome and Principe
Maria Liberia-Peters 1941 - Prime Minister Netherlands Antilles
Mary McAleese 1951 - President Ireland
Mary Robinson 1944 - President Ireland
Megawati Sukarnoputri 1947 - President Indonesia
Micheline Calmy-Rey 1945 - President Switzerland
Michelle Bachelet 1951 - President Chile
Milka Planinc 1924 - 2010 Federal Prime Minister Yugoslavia
Mireya Moscoso 1946 - President Panama
Nyam-Osoriyn Tuyaa NA Acting Prime Minister Mongolia
Pamela Gordon 1955 - Premier Bermuda
Portia Simpson Miller* 1945 - Prime Minister Jamaica
Pratibha Devisingh Patil* 1934 - President India
Reneta Indzhova 1953 - Interim Prime Minister Bulgaria
Ruth Dreifuss 1940 - President Switzerland
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl 1946 - President German Democratic Republic
Sheikh Hasina Wajed 1968 - 2009 Prime Minister Bangladesh
Sirimavo Bandaranaike 1916 - 2000 Prime Minister Sri Lanka
Susanne Camelia-Romer NA Prime Minister Netherlands Antilles
Sylvie Kinigi 1952 Prime Minister Burundi
Tansu Ciller 1944 Prime Minister Turkey
Tarja Halonen* 1943 - President Finland
Vaira Vike-Freiberga 1937 - President Latvia
Vigdis Finnbogadottir 1930 - President Iceland
Violeta Chamorro 1929 - President Nicaragua
Yingluck Shinawatra* 1967 - Prime Minister Thailand
Yulia Tymoshenko 1960 - Prime Minister Ukraine
Zinaida Greceanii 1956 - Prime Minister Moldova
* indicates currently serving in office These women are important leaders who have changed the world for the better. There are many other women leaders who have reached great heights. Some of them were born leaders, while others learned the skills and qualities required to become good leaders. They are competent, efficient, broad-minded and straightforward. They are ethical and could show sound judgment, while being passionate about their vision. Let us hope that other women emulate these women leaders and be instrumental in world progress.

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