10 Political Women Leaders Around The World
When Steve Harvey asked Zozibini Tunzi, the 2019 Miss Universe what the most important thing that young girls must be taught today was, she replied, “Leadership”. Although the struggle for women’s place in society has been never-ending, there exist women who have defeated all odds and have risen as world leaders today. These women we would find in every sector, every sphere of life, every community, and every tribe.
It would be virtually impossible to recognize every single woman leader among the numerous women leaders around the world in one article, therefore, we shall be shining our light on 10 of the top political women leaders in the world today.
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Angela Dorothea Merkel
Image Source: Instagram/Angela Merkel
Arguably the most powerful woman in the world, Angela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005. She has often been described as the ‘de facto leader of the European Union’.
Merkel was not always a politician. In fact, she has a doctorate degree in Quantum Chemistry! She delved into politics in the wake of the 1989 Revolution and started off as a deputy spokesperson for the first democratically elected East German Government led by Lothar de Mazière in 1990, and fifteen years later, she went ahead to become the first female Chancellor of Germany.
Born to a pastor and a language teacher in 1954, she has twice been named the world’s second most powerful person. This is following Vladimir Putin, a ranking conducted by Forbes Magazine which is the highest-ranking ever achieved by a woman.
Beautiful!
2.Theresa Mary May
Image Source: Instagram/Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British politician who served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom between 2016 to 2019. After David Cameron resigned, Theresa was elected Conservative Party leader and became the UK’s second female Prime Minister.
Although she had relatively humble beginnings, Theresa always aspired to be the first female prime minister. According to a friend; “I cannot remember a time when she did not have political ambitions. I well remember, at the time, she was quite irritated when Margaret Thatcher got there first.” Her determination eventually paid off.
3. Christine Madeline Lagarde
Image Source: Instagram/Christine Lagarde
Now, this is a money woman. Christine Lagarde is the current President of the European Central Bank. Prior to her appointment in November 2019, she had already served as the Chair and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund between the years 2011 to 2019. Woah!
Christine is the first woman to lead the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Before these appointments, she had also served senior ministerial appointments in the Government of France. She was once the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Commerce.
Lagarde was born into a family of teachers in Paris, France 63 years ago. Christine once failed her École nationale d’administration’s entrance exam and failed to gain admission to the elite school but she did not let this failure stop her. Now, she is Forbes’ third most powerful woman in the world. Way to go!
4. Queen Elizabeth II
Image Source: Instagram/Queen Elizabeth Fanpage
It goes without saying that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms is one of the most powerful women leaders in the world.
The 93-year old woman has been a constitutional monarchy since her reign in early 1952.
As at the time of her birth as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, she stood third in the line of succession to the throne after Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and her father, The Duke of York. Soon enough, her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales abdicated his throne to marry the love of his life who was a divorcee. As a result of that, Queen Elizabeth became the second in line and heir presumptive and thus ascended the throne when her father passed.
Queen Elizabeth has always been a major object of public interest as a result of some of her unconventional ways of governance. During the second world war, she was trained to be a driver and a mechanic and was subsequently decorated as an Honorary junior commander (female equivalent of captain).
Queen Elizabeth is currently the longest-reigning monarch in British history with a whopping 65 years on the throne!
5. Sheikh Hasina Wazed
Image Source: Instagram/Sheikh Hasani
Sheikh Hasina Wazed is the 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been in her current office since January 2009. She also served as a Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001, thus making her the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of Bangladesh.
As a result of the political turmoil that surrounded her life because of the political affiliations of her family, Sheikh lived in refuge with her grandmother. On the 15th of August, 1975, her father and her family were assassinated. Only she and her sister survived the attack because they were both in West Germany.
Hasina was the President of the Bangladesh opposition party – The Awami League. Her party’s major preoccupation was to restore a democratically elected government as opposed to the autocratic government led by General Ershad. This was later achieved in 1981.
Before the eventual victories, Hasani had suffered a lot of setbacks. After the bloody assassination of her father, mother and three brothers in their family home, Hasani went on a six-year exile. She was placed on several house arrest because of her advocacy for democracy after her exile.
This did not deter her in her struggle for democracy and the security of basic human rights. She is currently the 29th on Forbes Power Women list.
6. Jacinda Kate Ardern
Image Source: Instagram/Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Ardern, at age 37, became New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister in more than 150 years!
Jacinda was inspired to enter politics because of her background. She grew up in a community where ‘children without shoes on their feet or anything to eat for lunch’ roamed the streets and she wanted to change that.
She started her career as a researcher in the office of Helen Clark, the Prime Minister in 2001. In 2005, Ardern worked in the United Kingdom as a policy advisor to the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Much of Jacinda’s political success is as a result of “her ability to communicate with people and talk in an open and honest way that [didn’t] sound like a traditional politician.” People loved and respected her authenticity. In no time, she became a country favorite. Some people have even referred to her effect on people as the ‘Jacindamania’.
During her two year reign, she has managed to ban military-style semi-automatics, planting of 140 million trees for climate change, the extension of paid parental leave, leading the call for the removal of terrorist material online, reducing the prison population, making the highways safer, created 92,000 jobs, built more than 2,200 state houses, banned offshore speculators, increased the minimum wage, brought unemployment to the lowest rate in eleven years, and many more amazing things. A superwoman!
7. Carrie Lam Cheng
Image Source: Instagram/Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng is the 4th and current Chief Executive of Hong Kong since 2017. Carrie Lam has served in various government agencies but she became a key official in 2007 when she became the Secretary for Development. She also became the Chief Secretary for Administration in 2012.
Carrie Lam was born into a modest family, from which she rose to power gradually after graduating from the University of Hong Kong.
Being the leader of one of the greatest economies in the world, Carrie Lam is often described as a workaholic as it is speculated that she sleeps only three to four hours a day.
She is currently number 32 on the Forbes Power Women List.
8. Erna Solberg
Image Source: Instagram/Erna Solberg
Nicknamed “Iron Erna”, Erna Solberg is the current Prime Minister of Norway. She has been serving in that position since 2013.
When Solberg was 16, she was diagnosed with dyslexia (also known as a reading disorder despite normal intelligence). Despite her illness, Erna was elected to the board of the School Student Union of Norway in her final year of high school. In her final year of college, she also led the Students’ League of the Conservative Party in Bergen.
Solberg has also served as the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development from 2001 to 2005.
Central to her work as a Prime Minister is her commitment to ensuring that children in conflict areas, particularly girls, gain access to quality education. Furthermore, “she has expressed the hope that in 2030 no factors such as poverty, gender, and cultural beliefs will prevent any of today’s ambitious young girls from standing confidently on the world stage.”
In recognition of her involvement in the Sustainable Development Goals, she was awarded the Global Citizen World Leader Award in 2018. Well deserved.
9. Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon
Image Source: Instagram/Erna Solberg
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is the first female First Minister of Scotland and the first female leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Nicola graduated from the University of Glasgow with a law degree. During her time at the university, she was actively involved in the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association and the Glasgow University Students’ Representative Council.
Like most strong women in politics today, Nicola was inspired to enter into politics by Margaret Thatcher, who was a British stateswoman that served as the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. Nicola, therefore, developed the desire to effect change due to a strong feeling that it was wrong for Scotland to be governed by a Tory government that we hadn’t elected.
Nicola Sturgeon is a self-described feminist and is known to be a champion of women’s rights and gender equality. This is further emphasized by her act of ensuring that her cabinet boasts of a 50/50 gender balance.
Currently, she is agitating for a second referendum for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom which will still ensure they remain in the European Union. A true Queen!
10. Ivanka Trump
Image Source: Instagram/Ivanka Trump
Ivanka Marie Trump is the first daughter of the United States of America. She is the daughter of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the USA. She is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, author and reality television personality. Currently, she is serving as the Senior Advisor to the President.
The 38 year old who is estimated to be worth over $300 million, left her businesses and her office as the Vice President of the Trump Organization to pursue a career in public policy. In August 2015, Donald Trump announced that Ivanka was his advisor on “women’s health and women”.
According to whitehouse.gov, “In her role, she focuses on the education and economic empowerment of women and their families as well as job creation and economic growth through workforce development, skills training and entrepreneurship.”
Although she takes no salary for this service, Ivanka Trump is regarded as one of the most powerful female political leaders in recent times. She is ranked number 42 on the Forbes Power Women list.
In a world hinged on the wheels of patriarchy and misogyny, women sitting at the helm of affairs is almost unrealistic but these women did it! And they are doing a fantastic job at it. Leading some of the greatest economies in the world is not an easy feat but these women have proven that you can actually do it all. A fact Jacinda Arden tries to emphasize when she made a major statement by bringing her infant to the 2018 United Nations General Assembly just three months after she delivered.
So please go ahead and tell us: Who is your favourite woman leader? Why? Personally mine is queen Elizabeth. The woman never ceases to amaze me. Finally ladies, remember, YOU CAN DO IT ALL!!!
Image Source: Pixabay
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