In June 2010 there was a record-high number of concurrent female world leaders, when Ms Julia Gillard gained prime ministership in Australia.

• In 1997 Mary MacAleese was elected president of Ireland
• Tara Halonen was elected president of Finland in 2000
• Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected chancellor of Germany in 2005
• Liberia elected President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took office in 2006
• India elected President Pratibha Patil took office in 2007
• In 2008 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed was elected to office in Bangladesh
• Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir was elected in Iceland, by a ruling party
• In 2009 President Dalia Grybauskaite was elected in Lithuania
• Croatia leading party appointed Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor to office
• In 2010 the Labour party elected Julia Gillard as Australia's prime minister.
• Trinidad and Costa Rica elected Kamla Persad-Bissessar as prime minister in 2010
• In 2010 the leading party appointed Doris Leuthard president of Switzerland
• Costa Ricca elected Laura Chinchilla as president of Costa Ricca in 2010
• A coup in 2010 put Rosa Otunbayeva as interim president in Kyrgyzstan

In July of 2002 13 women were national leaders: Lativa, Finland, New Zealand, Ireland, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Indonesia, Panama, Bangladesh, Senegal, São Tomé and Príncipe and South Korea.

This number was reached again in early April of 2006 with Ireland, New Zealand, Latvia, Finland, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Germany, Liberia, South Korea, Chile, Jamaica, and Sao Tomé and Príncipe, all having female leaders.

In January-March 2007, the number was again reached by a combination of Ireland, New Zealand, Latvia, Finland, Philippines, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Germany, Liberia, Chile, Jamaica, Switzerland, and South Korea.

Female Head of State in June 2010 were:

• Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom
• Queen Margrethe II in Demark
• Queen Beatrix in The Netherlands.

The women Governor Generals included:

• Dame Perlette Louisy as Governor General of St. Luca
• Lady Louise Lake-Tack as Governor General of Antiqua and Barbuda
• Quentin Bryce as Governor General of Australia
• Michealle Jean as Governor General of Canada.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike gained office in Sri Lanka in 1960, as the world's first elected woman prime minister. She died at the age of 84, after four decades of political life.

England's Margaret Thatcher was one of the longest serving woman Prime Minister. She remained in office from 1979 to 1990.

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