Today women come to power even in such regions as Latin America and Africa, and no one is surprised anymore. The fact that world politics has its own female face, I think, is quite a natural phenomenon.

There are currently six female presidents in the world. Mary McAleese has been the longest-serving president of Ireland since 1997. Two years later Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga became President of Latvia. In 2000, Tarja Halonen became president of Finland. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been president of the Philippines since 2001. (Before that, by the way, from 1986 to 1992, another woman – Maria Corazon (Cory) Aquino – was the president of the Philippines, who defeated in a very tough fight Ferdinand Marcos.) Finally, in 2005, for the first time in history came to power in an African country – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became president of Liberia. And in early 2006, this baton was taken by Latin America, where a woman – Michelle Bachelet – was also elected to the main state post in Chile.

In addition, there are three reigning queens, Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Margrethe II of Denmark.

In addition, six women head the governments of their countries. Since 1999 Jennifer Smith has held the Bermuda cabinet. One year later, Helen Clark became head of the New Zealand government. In 2005 Maria do Carmi Silveria became prime minister of Sao Tome and Principe (former overseas province of Portugal that received independence in 1975) and in Germany Angela Merkel won elections. She became the first female Federal Chancellor and at the same time, at the age of 51, the youngest Federal Chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. She is also the first representative of the new federal states in this position and the first federal chancellor with a natural science background. Many women took the election of Angela Merkel as Federal Chancellor of Germany as a personal victory. They liked her because she did not stand out for her feminine beauty and charisma, and because she had reached the pinnacle of her political career by crossing the critical age threshold of 50 for a woman’s career. On the outside, Merkel is a reflection of the average German voter, and therein lies the secret of her personal electoral appeal. But this woman’s ambition, opportunism, and capacity for work set her apart sharply. And her inconspicuous appearance and lack of charisma have made her a perfect disguise against dangerous competitors on her way to the chancellor’s office.

Also in 2006, the South Korean parliament confirmed a woman as prime minister for the first time. The nomination of Han Myung Suk, 62, a member of the ruling party’s Legislative Assembly, for the post of prime minister received 182 votes out of 259. True, the post of prime minister in South Korea is rather ceremonial. The main powers of power are concentrated in the hands of the president.

In France, Segolene Rouillat, the feminine, charming social democrat, ran for president in 2007, not without success. Her opponent, Nicolas Sarkozy, won in the second round only, receiving 53.06 percent of the vote to Ségolène Rouillat’s 46.94 percent. Admitting defeat at a meeting with her headquarters on the evening of May 6, Rouaille said she would continue to fight, thanking her supporters and urging them not to relax.

In November 2008, Ségolène Royale lost the election for secretary of the French Socialist Party, losing to Martin Aubry.

As for the U.S., the Oval Office of the White House has lost its status as a “bastion of men. In 1936, J. Gallup asked Americans, “would you vote for a female presidential candidate if she were qualified?” 65% of respondents said no. But as early as 2000, about 90% of respondents answered that question in the affirmative. This was to be expected when you consider that according to the Gallup service, 77% of voters support women serving in the Air Force; 73% in submarines, 63% in the Green Berets… “The Glass Ceiling is Broken. On Capitol Hill, the weaker sex is out in force – the House of Representatives is chaired by Nancy Pelosi, third on the list of those who could lead the country in the event of the president’s death. Her gender counterparts hold 87 seats (16.3%) in the House, and 16 in the Senate (16%). Women’s influence is also felt at lower levels of government. They serve as governors in nine states out of 50. In 2002, there were five. In 2007, there were 11 women vice-governors. In the state parliaments they occupy 23% of the seats. And in some places they took all the power. For example, in Arizona in 1998 five top positions – Governor, Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and Chief State Inspector – were held by women.