Women Ministers and Female Heads
of Government
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Women Leaders
Currently in Office

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Women Chairpersons of Parliaments and Members of Parliament Presidiums
- by country

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Women Party Leaders 
- by country
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Women Local Leaders
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Women Presidential 
Candidates
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Women Ambassadors
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Women Clergy and Ecclesiastical Territories
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Women Police and Military Chiefs_
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Woman Leaders in Denmark
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Links
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Miscellaneous
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WORLDWIDE GUIDE TO 
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

This site is dedicated to the women who have ruled since the beginning of times - or as long as the sources date back.

There have always been female rulers. Some Egyptian Queens are believed to have governed from around 3000 BCE, and the first to be named by the sources without any doubt is Ku-baba, who ruled the Mesopotamian City-State of Ur round 2500 BCE.

First female ministers
However, it was not until during and just after the World War I that the first few women became members of the revolutionary governments in Ukraine, Russia, Hungary and Ireland. Nina Bang, Danish Minister of Education 1924-26, was the first woman to be minister in democratically elected parliamentary government. See more in First female ministers. Nevertheless, development was slow and it was not until the end of the 20th century that female ministers stopped being unusual.

First female Prime Minister and President
In 1960 Sirivamo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka became the world's first female elected Premier Minister and in 1974 Isabel Perón of Argentina became the first woman President - one woman had been Acting Head of Government and two women Acting Heads of State before that.

Today, the only two countries, which never had a female member of government in at least a sub-ministerial position, are Monaco and Saudi Arabia. The Vatican has got one Assistant Vice-Minister. In 1999 Sweden became the first country to have more female ministers than male. 11 women and 9 men, in 2007 the Finish government had 60% women.

Current female heads of state and government
There are 192 members of the United Nations and 2 independent states outside, a few self-declared de-facto independent states and many self-ruling depencies. 19 have got female leaders at the moment.

Of the monarchies, there are reigning Queens in 3 countries: Denmark, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom - and the latter is represented by female Governor Generals in Antigua and Barbuda, Canada and Saint Lucia, who function as their countries' de-facto Heads of State.

The 6 female Presidents are in Argentina, Chile, Finland, India, Ireland, Liberia and The Philippines.

At the moment there are 7 woman Prime Ministers; in Germany, New Zealand, Moldavia (Designated), Mozambique, The Netherlands Antilles, Ukraine and The Åland Islands. For more details see: Situation in 2008

Content of www.guide2womenleaders.com
The site contains lists of female Heads of State listed by country, a chronological list of Women in Power from B.C. 3000, female Prime Ministers, Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Defence and Ministers by country, female Chairpersons of Parliament, female Governors, Premiers and local Leaders by country, female Party Leaders for each country, a chronological list of female Presidential Candidates, Ambassadors to the United Nations and first female ambassadors for each country, lists of women's ordination to priesthood and female bishops and finally a list of female Danish leaders. (See entries to the left).

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