Women In Politics Essay, Research Paper

Here are some facts about women who have served

or are currently serving in the U.S. Congress.

There have been 200 women elected or

appointed to the U.S. Congress. Jeannette

Rankin, Republican from Montana, was the

first woman elected to serve in Congress. On

November 9, 1916, she was elected to the

House of Representatives as Montana’s

Representative-at-Large to the 65th Congress; she served from

1917-1919. Since that time 199 other women have served in

Congress.

There are a record number of women serving in the 106th

Congress: 58 in the House and 9 in the Senate.

There have been 178 women elected to the House of

Representatives. Of these, 37 were elected to fill vacancies caused

by their husbands’ deaths.

There have been 27 women elected to the Senate. Of these, 7 were

elected to fill vacancies caused by their husbands’ deaths. Five

women went from the House to the Senate.

Edith Nourse Rogers, Republican from

Massachusetts, holds the record for the

longest service by a woman in the House of

Representatives. Originally elected to fill the

vacancy caused by her husband’s death, she

served from June 25, 1925, until her death on

September 10, 1960.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtineor, a

Republican from Florida, was first elected in

1989. She is the first Hispanic woman and

first Cuban American to serve in Congress.

Representative Nydia Velazquez, a

Democrat from New York, was elected in

1992 and became the first Puerto Rican

woman to serve in Congress.

Women Political Leaders -Historical and

Current

Country

Name

Reign

Argentina

President Isabel Per?n

1974-1976

Lesser Armenia

Queen Zabel

1219-1226

Bangladesh

Prime Minister Khaleda

Zia

1991-1996

Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina Wajed

1996-present

Bermuda

Premier Pamela Gordon

1997-1998

Bermuda

Premier Jennifer Smith

1998-present

Bolivia

Prime Minister Lidia

Gueiler

1979-1980

Burundi

Prime Minister Sylvie

Kinigi

1993-1994

Byzantium

(Roman Empire)

Empress Theodora

1055-1056

Cambodia

Queen Kossamak (joint

ruler)

1955-1960

Canada

Prime Minister Kim

Campbell

1993 (4 months)

Central African

Republic

Prime Minister Elizabeth

Domitien

1974-1976

China

Empress Wu Chao

655-705

China

Dowager Empress Tsu-Hsi

1861-1908

Denmark

Queen Margaret I

1387-1412

Denmark

Queen Margrethe II

1972-present

Dominica

Prime Minister Mary

Eugenia Charles

1980-1995

Egypt

Queen Hatshepsut

1501-1498 B.C.

Egypt

Queen Eje

1351-1350 B.C.

Egypt

Queen Arsinoe II (joint

ruler)

279-270 B.C.

Egypt

Queen Berenice

81-80 B.C.

Egypt

Queen Cleopatra VII

51-50 B.C.

Ethiopia

Empress Waizero

1916-1930

Finland

President Tarja Halonen

2000-present

France

Prime Minister Edith

Cresson

1991-1992

Great Britain

Queen Jane (Lady Jane

Grey)

1553 (9 days)

Great Britain

Queen Mary I

1553-1558

Great Britain

Queen Elizabeth I

1558-1603

Great Britain

Queen Mary II (joint ruler)

1689-1702

Great Britain

Queen Anne

1702-1714

Great Britain

Queen Victoria

1837-1901

Great Britain

Queen Elizabeth II

1952-present

Great Britain

Prime Minister Margaret

Thatcher

1979-1990

Guyana

President Janet Jagan

1997-1999

Haiti

Provisional President Erita

Pascal-Trouillot

1990

Haiti

Prime Minister Claudette

Werleigh

1995-1996

Hungary

Queen Mary

1382-1387

Hungary

Queen Elizabeth

1439-1440

Hungary

Queen Maria Theresa

1740-1780

Iceland

President Vigdis

Finnbogad?ttir

1980-1996

India

Prime Minister Indira

Gandhi

1966-1977,

1980-1984

Ireland

President Mary Robinson

1990-1997

Ireland

President Mary McAleese

1997-present

Israel and Judah

Queen Athaliah

842-837 B.C.

Israel

Prime Minister Golda Meir

1969-1974

Italy

Queen Theodelinda

590

Italy

Queen Joanna I of Naples

1343-1381

Italy

Queen Maria of Sicily

1377-1402

Italy

Queen Joanna II of Naples

1414-1435

Japan

Empress Suiko Tenno

593-628

Japan

Empress Kogyoku

642-645

Japan

Empress Jito

686-697

Japan

Empress Gemmyo

703-724

Japan

Empress Koken

(abdicated)

749-758

Japan

Empress Shotuku-Koken

764-770

Latvia

President Vaira

Vike-Freiberga

1999-present

Lithuania

Prime Minister Kazimicra

Prunskiene

1990-1992

Madagascar

Queen Ranavalona I

1828-1861

Madagascar

Queen Rasoaherina

1863-1868

Madagascar

Queen Ranavalona II

1868-1883

Madagascar

Queen Ranavalona III

(deposed)

1883-1896

Netherlands

Queen Wilhelmina

(abdicated)

1890-1948

Netherlands

Queen Juliana

1948-1980

Netherlands

Queen Beatrix

1980-present

Netherlands

Antilles

Prime Minister Maria

Liberia-Peters

1984-1986,

1988-1993

Netherlands

Antilles

Prime Minister Susanne

Camelia-Romer

1993, 1998-present

New Zealand

Prime Minister Jenny

Shipley

1997-1999

New Zealand

Prime Minister Helen

Clark

1999-present

Nicaragua

President Maria Liberia

Peres

1984-1985

Nicaragua

President Violeta

Barriosde Chamorro

1990-1997

Norway

Queen Margaret

1387-1412

Norway

Prime Minister Gro Harlem

Brundtlandt

1981 and 1986

Pakistan

Prime Minister Benazir

Bhutto

1988-1990,

1993-1996

Panama

President Mireya Moscoso

1999-present

Philippines

President Maria Corazon

Aquino

1986-1992

Poland

Queen Hedwige

1384-1399

Poland

Prime Minister Hanna

Suchocka

1992-1993

Portugal

Queen Maria I

1777-1816

Portugal

Queen Maria II

1826-1828

Portugal

Queen Maria III

1834-1853

Portugal

Prime Minister Maria de

Lourdes Pintasilgo

1979 (149 days)

Roman Empire

Empress Irene

797-802

Russia

Queen Tamara

1184-1212

Russia

Empress Catherine I

1725-1727

Russia

Empress Anna Ivanovna

1730-1740

Russia

Empress Elizabeth

Petrovna

1741-1762

Russia

Empress Catherine II (The

Great)

1762-1796

Rwanda

Prime Minister Agathe

Uwilingiyimana

1993-1994

St. Lucia

Governor-General

Pearlette Louisy

1997-present

Scotland

Queen Mary Stuart

(executed)

1542-1567

Seminole Nation

Betty Mae Jumper

1960-1969

Spain

Queen Dona Urraca

1109-1126

Spain

Queen Juana I

1274-1307

Spain

Queen Juana II

1328-1349

Spain

Queen Dona Blanca

1425-1441

Spain

Queen Isabella I (joint

ruler)

1474-1504

Spain

Queen Catalina de Albret

1481-1512

Spain

Queen Isabella II

1833-1868

Sri Lanka

Queen Anula

47-42 B.C.

Sri Lanka

Queen Sivali

35 B.C.

Sri Lanka

Queen Lilavati

1197-1200,

1209-1212

Sri Lanka

Queen Kalyanavati

1202-1208

Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Sirimavo

Bandaranaike

1960-1965,

1970-1977,

1994-present

Sri Lanka

President Chandrika

Kumaratunga

1994-present

Sweden

Queen Christina

(abdicated)

1632-1654

Sweden

Queen Ulrica Eleonora

(abdicated)

1718-1720

Tonga

Queen Salote Tubou III

1918-1965

Turkey

Prime Minister Tansu ?iller

1993-1996