Until relatively recently, female world leaders have been few and far between.  But, as VOA's Stephanie Ho reports, their ranks are growing, with a number of prominent women in several countries stepping up to the world stage.

Presidential candidate Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner waves to photographers before casting her vote in Rio Gallegos, 28 Oct 2007

Fernandez called on her compatriots to get used to the idea of having a "presidenta," a woman, leading the country.

And she is not alone in Latin America.  Last year, Michelle Bachelet was the first woman to be elected president in neighboring Chile.

Some experts think one reason there are more women in high office around the world is because women have been actively increasing their political involvement over the past several decades.  Sarah Brewer is at American University's Women and Politics Institute.  She says, "Since the development of the modern women's rights movement, the global women's movement, and changes in gender relations since the mid 1960s, 1970s, we're seeing more women having careers in public life."

President Bush presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 05 Nov 2007

President Bush recently presented Ms. Sirleaf with the presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award.

In Asia, Gloria Arroyo in the Philippines and Pratibha Patil in India hold the presidency. And former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has returned to the political mainstream in Pakistan.

In August, Forbes business magazine put German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the top of its list of the world's 100 most powerful women.  Forbes senior editor Elizabeth McDonald says, "She is the first female chancellor of Germany since Germany became a nation state in 1871, and she's increasingly wielding her clout around the globe."

Margaret Thatcher

Andrew Pierce is a political commentator with Britain's Telegraph newspaper. "In public, she [Thatcher] was always the ‘iron lady.’  She was tough. They have to be tough.  They have to be strong and be tough as the men, probably tougher," says Pierce.

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton is demonstrating that toughness in her campaign for the American presidency.

Hillary Clinton

She also says that women who seek high office should be judged for their talents and merits, and not feel they somehow have to be better, or stronger, than men.