America Misses The Chance Again: List Of Top 5 Female Heads In The History
Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris was on the cusp of history until Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump triumphed over what could have been a historic moment for the United States—the first woman president and the first Black female president of the country in its 248-year history. Alas, Donald Trump has clinched victory with 267 electoral votes while Harris trailed behind with 224.
Nevertheless, another record has been created with Trump becoming the first person convicted of a felony elected to the US presidency. He was convicted of 34 felony counts in a New York hush-money case over five months ago.
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Over 70 countries have witnessed a woman lead their governments. While some have served for relatively brief terms, others have carved their place in history books. Here is a list of five women leaders who made history (for the better or worse).
1. Sirimavo Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka)
The Sri Lankan politician became the world’s first female prime minister after she won the Sri Lankan (then known as Ceylon) elections in 1960. Bandaranaike entered politics after her husband’s assassination during his tenure as the prime minister. She served as the head of the state from 1960-65 and from 1970-77.
She is known for nationalising several businesses and establishing a state-run economic system. Following in her mother’s steps, daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga served as the prime minister from 1994-2005 and later became Sri Lanka’s first woman president.
2. Indira Gandhi (India)
Daughter of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi served as the first (and to date only) female prime minister in the country in 1966. Following her first term, she was re-elected twice until she was assassinated in 1984. Gandhi, an influential figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). With a tenure of 15 years and 350 days, she is also the second longest-serving prime minister in the country after her father.
Described as an “Iron Lady” by Henry Kissinger, Gandhi was instrumental in supporting East Pakistan’s (now Bangladesh) demand for a separate nation, which eventually resulted in India establishing itself as a dominant power in South Asia. Gandhi’s term ended with bloody riots and the period of Emergency.
3. Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)
The first woman leader of a Muslim nation in modern history, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto served two terms as prime minister in 1988-90 and 1993-96. Daughter of former Pakistani president and prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir experienced frequent house arrest from 1979 to 1984. Influenced by Thatcherite economics, Bhutto transformed her party, Pakistan’s People’s Party (PPP) from a socialist to liberal.
During her tenure, her attempts to reform were obstructed by conservative and Islamist forces including the Pakistani military and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 while campaigning for parliamentary elections.
4. Margaret Thatcher (United Kingdom)
Another “Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher, rose through the ranks of the Conservative Party, leading it in 1975 and then becoming the first female prime minister of the country in 1979.
Amid recession and raising unemployment, Thatcher’s popularity began to fade away, but clinching victory over the 1982 Falklands War and reviving the economy brought it back. She saw a landslide victory in 1983. Strictly against communism, Thatcher promoted free-market policies and reduced the power of labour unions. After a tenure of 11 years, becoming the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century, Thatcher came to be known as a polarising figure in British politics.
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5. Golda Meir (Israel)
Born to a Ukrainian-Jewish family, Golda Meir was raised in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee. After helping establish the state of Israel, Meir became one of the leading spokespersons for the Zionist cause during the second world war. Notably, she was also one of the only two women who signed the Declaration of Independence of Israel in 1948. A controversial figure in Israel, Meir’s dismissive remarks towards the Palestinians have garnered widespread criticism.
She resigned in 1974 and died four years later of lymphoma.
