Most Powerful Women Leaders of the World

Women have indeed dominated men’s world especially the world of politics. World’s most famous women have happened to be the most powerful at the forefront of governance. Throughout the years, history of women rising into power has been remarkable. The world’s first female Prime Minister Sirivamo Bandaranaike and the Philippines’ first woman president Corazon Aquino, have the same fate in their entrance to politics when both women continued their respective husband’s political career. Bandaranaike assumed in her husband’s stead in 1959 after he was assassinated.
Nicknamed as the “the weeping widow”, she changed Ceylon to its current name Sri Lanka after the British rule. Also after her husband’s assassination, Aquino ousted the Marcoses, ended the 20 years of dictatorship in 1986 through “People Power”. Aquino is noted for her peaceful resolve of political conflicts and was able to manage popular reforms to regain the country’s economy and identity. (World of Mysteries 2008: 1) Another notable woman in politics was Rosa Parks who was an important civil rights leader.
She fought for the freedom of the black citizens in the United States after her personal experience of racial discrimination after she refused to obey a busman forcing her to vacate her seat and give way to a white passenger. This led to the “Montgomery Bus Boycott” in 1955. The movement was staged to stop racial discrimination in buses and eventually led a change in US legislation banning racial segregation. (Deshpande 2006:1) While Parks pursued racial acceptance, Yulia Tymoshenko focuses on economic reforms in Ukraine.

A business tycoon herself, Tymoshenko became Ukraine’s Prime Minister after the Orange Revolution in 2004. With combined looks and brain, Tymoshenko was its perfect symbol. But no female head of state outwit the Queen of Britain’s record as the longest reigning monarch. Queen Elizabeth II is an absolute institution in the political realm. (Stockbridge 2008:1) Women who have done the greatest deeds worthy of their world recognition as the most powerful were Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom and Angela Merkel of Germany, who have been compared recently for their almost parallel performances.
Margaret Thatcher was United Kingdom’s Prime Minister since 1979 and lasted for more than eleven years. As a capitalist, she was known for reducing government spending through deregulation and privatization. She was noted as the original “Iron Lady” and deeply involved in the fall of Communism breaking up the Soviet Union. She pushed her Conservative policies blatantly and even survived a bomb attack plotted by the Irish Republican Army. Her own war on wages against Argentina over the Falkland Islands gained her popularity.
She was famously known as the first woman to lead a political party in any European country. (Stockbridge 2008:1) Noted as the most powerful woman in the world until recently, Angela Merkel is the first woman chancellor and the current head of the government in Germany. As a female politician and a scientist, Merkel has been compared to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She was also referred to as the “Iron Lady”, “Iron Girl”, and “The Iron Frau” (all original of Thatcher).
Merkel became the president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in April 10, 2000, and the CDU-CSU, an alliance between CDU and its sister party, Christian Social Union of Bavaria. She is head of big political groups in Germany to include the coalition of CSU and Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the president of the European Council and current chairperson of the G8. Her internal affairs policy in Germany specifically concerning health and energy, and her contribution towards the betterment of the European Union regarded her as the world’s most powerful woman in 2008 and in 2009.
(World of Mysteries 2008: 1) These women are indeed important personalities who have changed the world for the better. In Forbes Magazine’s “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”, Merkel tops the list in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Perhaps it is because of her government’s main aim to reduce unemployment and being a versatile persona in business, history even in military. References Stockbridge, Cath. (2008) Strong Women in the News: Focus on Angela Merkel of Germany.
Retrieved 30 May 2010 from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/1016486/strong_women_in_the_news_focus_o n_angela. html? cat=49 World Of Mysteries. (2008) The Most Powerful Modern Women Leaders. Published on December 26, 2008 retrieved 30 May 2010 from http://worldmysteries9. blogspot. com/2008/12/most-powerful-modern-women- leaders. html Deshpande, Mukul. (2010) World’s Famous Women Leaders. Retrieved 28 May 2010 from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/worlds-famous-women-leaders. html