Table of Contents

Preface;
Introduction;
Breakthrough on several continents;
Women in politics;
Western industrial countries I;
‘Roaring she-tigers’ in South Asia;
Equilibrists in East Asia;
Machism, marianism, modernism in Latin America;
Lopsided democracies in the Caribbean;
‘Big Chiefs’ in sub-Saharan Africa;
Eastern Bloc from communism to capitalism;
Western industrial countries II;
Where women rose to the top;
When women made it.

About the Author

Torild Skard is a Senior Researcher in Women's Studies at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs in Oslo, specialising in women in politics. A pioneer in the women's movement nationally and internationally, she was formerly a MP and the first woman President of the Norwegian Upper House. She has also been Director for the Status of Women in UNESCO Paris, Regional Director in UNICEF West- and Central Africa and Director General in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has written numerous books and articles on women's issues, particularly women in politics and travels widely studying and promoting the status of women.

Reviews

"Let's hope that all the women world leaders of the next 50 years cannot be contained within one volume!" Professor Drude Dahlerup, Stockholm University; "Offers a unique overview of the first half-century in history when women in positions of leadership were no longer the exception" Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia 1999-2007; "When, where and how do women become prime ministers or presidents? Women of Power is a tour de force, providing new insight into regional patterns of global change." Marian Sawer, Australian National University; "Women of Power maps the political space and milieu that women political leaders had to negotiate and work in. As such, it provides the conceptual and discursive terrain to critically think about how they intended to make a difference in the world of politics." Vene Rallonza, Manila University; "It is important that we learn lessons from those who went before" Mary Robinson, President of Ireland 1990 - 1997 "This fascinating book on Women of Power is the first comprehensive overview of how and why women made it to the top of political leadership in the years after World War II till 2010." Norwegian Association for Women's Rights "This is the essential reference on women in power, covering a half-century of women at the political helm of democracies as both presidents and prime ministers." Choice