Female Leaders Across The World: Hillary Clinton Says The Future Is Female, But US Still Trails Behind Other Nations

After Hillary Clinton’s loss to President Donald Trump, she remained optimistic for the future of female political leadership in the U.S. “We have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will,” she said after losing in November.

More recently, in a video that was made for the 2017 Makers Conference meant to celebrate the accomplishments of many female leaders in the past as well as the present, and encourage women to become “leaders of tomorrow,” Clinton said the historic Women’s March on Washington that took place Jan. 21, reassured her that “the future is female.”

“Despite all the challenges we face, I remain convinced that yes, the future is female,” Clinton said. “Just look at the amazing energy we saw last month as women organized a march that galvanized millions of people all over our country and across the world.”

“We need strong women to step up and speak out,” she continued. “We need you to dare greatly and lead boldly. So please, set an example for every woman and girl out there who’s worried about what the future holds and wonders whether our rights, opportunities and values will endure.”

Even if America has yet to have a female president after 240 years of men in the job, other countries look very different.

Fifty-nine countries around the globe have had a female head of government, according to CNN.

Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to elect a female head of government, in July 1960. Indira Gandhi became the first woman prime minister of India in 1966, and three years later Golda Meir became Israel’s first female head of government. Elisabeth Domitien followed suit, appointed the first female prime minister of the Central African Republic in 1975 -- over 40 years ago.

Below is a list of female leaders across the world sorted by the date each country elected or appointed its first female president or prime minister:

1960s:

Sri Lanka, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, 1960

India, Indira Gandhi, 1966

Israel, Golda Meir, 1969

1970s:

Argentina, Isabel Perón, 1974

Central African Republic, Elisabeth Domitien, 1975

Portugal, Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, 1979

United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, 1979

1980s:

Dominica, Eugenia Charles, 1980

Iceland, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, 1980

Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland, 1981

Malta, Agatha Barbara, 1982

Philippines, Corazon Aquino, 1986

Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, 1988

1990s:

Ireland, Mary Robinson, 1990

Lithuania, Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė, 1990

Nicaragua, Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro, 1990

Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, 1991

France, Édith Cresson, 1991

Poland, Hanna Suchocka, 1992

Burundi, Sylvie Kinigi, 1993

Canada, Kim Campbell, 1993

Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, 1993

Turkey, Tansu Çiller, 1993

Haiti, Claudette Werleigh, 1995

Guyana, Janet Rosenberg, 1997

New Zealand, Jenny Shipley, 1997

Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, 1999

Panama, Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez, 1999

Switzerland, Ruth Dreifuss, 1999

2000s:

Finland, Tarja Halonen, 2001

Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri, 2001

Senegal, Mame Madior Boye, 2001

São Tomé and Príncipe, Maria das Neves, 2002

Peru, Beatriz Merino, 2003

Macedonia, Radmila Šekerinska, 2004

Mozambique, Luísa Diogo, 2004

Germany, Angela Merkel, 2005

Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, 2005

Chile, Michelle Bachelet, 2006

Jamaica, Portia Simpson-Miller, 2006

Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2006

South Korea, Han Myung-sook, 2006

Moldova, Zinaida Greceanîi, 2008

Croatia, Jadranka Kosor, 2009

2010s:

Australia, Julia Gillard, 2010

Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, 2010

Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva, 2010

Slovakia, Iveta Radičová, 2010

Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 2010

Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011

Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, 2011

Mali, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, 2011

Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, 2011

Malawi, Joyce Banda, 2012

Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek, 2013

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Sibel Siber, 2013

Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, 2014

Mauritius, Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, 2015

Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 2015