The women who broke through the proverbial "glass ceiling" and succeeded in politics. Big time. You've probably heard their names before, and if you haven't, we guarantee that you will hear about these ladies in the future. We bring you a selection of charismatic women who are not only successful, but also extremely inspiring.
Role model for young girls Kamala Harris
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Kamala Harris v bílém kostýmkuSource: Profimedia
When 55-year-old Kamala Harris became the first vice president of the United States after the election of Joe Biden, she brought with her many "first times". She became the first woman in such a high position - a colored woman at that. Harris isn't originally from the USA; her mother came from India, her father from Jamaica.
"While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last—because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,"
she commented on her success. Harris's career began in San Francisco, where she served as a district attorney and subsequently as the California Secretary of Justice. She has been a senator since 2017. She had originally planned to run for president, but withdrew in December 2019. On January 20, 2021, she will take up the position of Vice President.
Jacinda Ardern, who withstood adversity with grace
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Jacinda ArdernSource: Profimedia
New Zealand has had the charismatic Jacinda Ardern as its prime minister since 2017. She took office at the age of 37, which makes her the youngest woman in the world to hold such a high position. And a very capable one at that. After her political career had survived the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, she managed to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control with extremely strict measures. All this with such grace that her party won the election again in 2020.
The youngest current president, Zuzana Čaputová
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Zuzana ČaputováSource: Profimedia
When looking for influential politicians, however, we don't have to go as far as New Zealand. All we need to do is take a peek over the Slovak border. Zuzana Čaputová has been leading Slovakia since June 2019. In addition to being the first woman to take office, she also became the youngest person in the highest constitutional position - she was only 45 years old. And she also happens to be the youngest president in the world at the moment.
For her outstanding political achievements, Čaputová was awarded the European Personality of the Year award in Brussels on 6 May. In her personal life, she is divorced and is raising two daughters.
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European Union leader Angela Merkel
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Angela Merkel v červeném sakuSource: Profimedia
The media like to describe Angela Merkel as the leader of the European Union or as the most powerful woman in the world. But not many know that a long time ago, one of the most well-known political leaders used to devote herself to a completely different field: quantum chemistry.
Merkel entered politics shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. She joined the Christian Democratic Party and shortly thereafter began to work for Chancellor Helmut Kohl, gaining titles such as the Federal Minister for Women and Youth. In 2005, she succeeded Gerhard Schröder as Chancellor of Germany. Currently, as of now, she has been holding the position for fourth terms.
The world's youngest prime minister, Sanna Marin
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Sanna MarinSource: Profimedia
Despite the fact that the media have recently been mainly interested in her absence of underwear, we should rather be talking about her successes.
At the age of 34, Sanna Marin presides over the Finnish government, which makes her the youngest Finnish prime minister in history. In addition to that, on the day of her appointment, she also became the youngest prime minister currently in office in the world. In 2020, the Austrian Sebastian Kurz stole the title from her. But she still remains the youngest female prime minister. In August 2020, Sanna Marin was re-elected Prime Minister of the Social Democratic Party of Finland for another three-year term.
The first female candidate for US President Hillary Clinton
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Hillary ClintonSource: Profimedia
She started as the wife of Bill Clinton and the first lady of the United States, but continued as an uncompromising politician, senator, and foreign minister.
In 2008, she wanted to be nominated to represent the Democratic Party in the US Presidential election, but was defeated by Barack Obama. She finally succeeded 8 years later, but Republican Donald Trump beat her in the election. Even so, she is the first woman in history to be nominated for an American president.
