Women Leaders Through the Centuries
When we think of the governments of countries around the globe and try to bring to mind the names of those women leaders we can recall it is usually only a few who come to mind. These include the more well known of them like Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Evita Peron, Queen Victoria and Golda Meir. Yet, almost every country in the world has had a woman high up in their government except for Monaco and Saudi Arabia. Even the Vatican has a woman assistant vice-minister. Currently there are nine women presidents and six female prime ministers, four women governor-generals and three reigning queens around the world.
What many people do not realize is that there have been women leaders for thousands of years. Reaching back into the history of Egypt, Israel, Ur which is the area now known as Iraq or Ethiopia and searching back over three thousand years ago b.c. there were queens who ruled their countries with strength, sometimes with greed, but more often with a power that was unexpected. Some of these women ruled as regents for sons too young to reign, others succeeded husbands who were rulers while still others were next in line in the succession and the succession rules of their day allowed women to be queens who were not merely figureheads.
There are many women leaders in early history whose names are unknown by most people. An example is Queen Khamerernebti ll of Egypt whose statue shows that she had power. There is Pu-Abi of Ur whose burial site proves that she was a ruler who was likely considered godly or to be a representative of a god. Queen Ahhotep is credited with being the one who founded the eighteenth dynasty and who can forget Nefertiti? Her name is one that many know, but do they also know that this queen, known as the Lady of all the lands, disappeared mysteriously and was never heard from again?
Amongst the more modern women leaders there are many queens over the last several hundred years that are well remembered and well respected. There are also many who were feared. Queen Isabella l of Spain is an example of this. She began her rule in 1474 and although she sent Christopher Columbus on his way in 1492 she also was a prime force behind the Spanish Inquisition. She did not want anyone who was not Catholic to live in Spain. There were also good queens who tried their best to make their countries better, their people healthier and more prosperous. These include Queen Elizabeth 1 and Queen Victoria of England. Queen Nzinga M’Bandi of Angola and the Congo ruled from 1623 to 1663 when she died. She was a woman who ran her country with an iron fist. She negotiated peace with the Portuguese by working with the Dutch. She worked hard to stop the slave trade routes in her country doing all of this by organizing a strong army. Unlike in most countries she installed women in many powerful government roles. Her sisters were leaders in the army and she not only allowed women to serve in the army but called them forward to take arms against the enemies of their country.
The last one hundred years, has seen its share of strong women leaders. These include Queen Elizabeth the second of the United Kingdom who has reigned since 1952, Queen Julian of the Netherlands who reigned from 1948 until 1980 when she abdicated to allow her daughter Beatrix to succeed her and Denmark’s Queen Margrethe ll who began her rule in 1947.
There have also been many strong women leaders who have ruled their countries as their President or Prime Minister. When Isabel Peron became the president of Argentina in 1974 she was the first woman President anywhere in the world. She was also the first woman to be ousted as president by a military coup. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first women president in Africa in 2006. There have also been many well-respected Prime Ministers who were women. These must include Margaret Thatcher who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, Indira Gandhi who ruled India from 1966 to 1977 and Golda Meir who became Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. There was also Kim Campbell who was Prime Minister of Canada for less than five months. All these women who have lead their countries: some to a better place, some through wars, both necessary and not, some to prosperity and others to ruin. With the present elections one question that continues to be asked is whether the United States is ready to have its first female president?
