Political Tango, Women in the Lead – Argentina – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – Chile – Michelle Bachelet

THE Spanish term equidad de género, or gender equity, gained new meaning last week when Cristina Fernández de Kirchner glided through the glass ceiling in Argentina and became the first woman to be democratically elected president in the nation’s history.

Even with the boost she got from the successful presidency of her husband, Néstor Kirchner, Mrs. Kirchner’s ascent from senator and first lady to leader of this country of 40 million people should hardly have come as a surprise. Over the last decade Argentina has been at the forefront of a wave of Latin American women gaining powerful positions in their governments.

Last year Chileans elected Michelle Bachelet South America’s first female president, while Portia Simpson-Miller was elected the first female prime minister of Jamaica. Lourdes Flores came within a percentage point last year of breaking the gender barrier in Peru when she lost to the eventual president, Alan Garcia, in the first round of voting there.”*

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