Global women political leaders: An invisible history, an increasingly important future

No one doubts that we need different approaches than we have used in the past to guide the global community into the twenty-first century. Yet, while many people continue to review men's historic patterns of leadership, few have even begun to appreciate the equivalent patterns of historic and potential success in global women leaders. This article identifies the set of 25 global women leaders who have led modern countries and governments. Within the investigation, it contrasts the expected similarity of context with the reality of diversity among both the women leaders themselves and the naions they govern. The article reviews the women's paths to power, as well as their records of leadership and personal achievement.