The highest position of executive power has been held by a woman in just 62 countries since 1960. Since Sirimavo Bandaranaike was first elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1960, the number of women in power has grown slowly, with the fastest growth coming in the past 15 years. As of September 2024, there were 11 countries led by women, with Mexico electing its first female president in 2024, while long-serving figures such as Sheik Hasina of Bangladesh and Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland have left office. Despite growing numbers of women leaders decades, there have never been more than 17 countries with women in the highest positions of power in a single year, which is less than 10 percent of the number of men who have held these positions (as today, there are 193 UN member states). Records The women who have served the longest consecutive terms in these positions are Angela Merkel of Germany (16 years, 16 days), Dame Eugenia Charles of Dominica (14 years, 328 days), and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia (12 years, 6 days). The longest combined non-consecutive terms were held by Indira Gandhi of India (16 years, 15 days) and Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina (20 years, 234 days). Just 14 countries have had more than one woman in the highest position of executive power, and most of these countries can be found either in the Indian sub-continent or in Europe. Of these 14, Finland, Moldova, New Zealand, and the UK are the only countries to have had three female leaders, although the unique federal system of Switzerland has had five women serve in nine annual-terms as President of the Swiss Confederation. The first woman Prime Minister The first democratically elected female Prime Minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, who took over the leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party when her husband was assassinated in 1959. Bandaranaike successfully led her party to victory in three elections, in 1960, 1970 and 1994, however constitutional changes in the 1980s meant that her final term as Prime Minister was spent in a more ceremonial role, while the President now held the real executive power (although the President at this time was also a woman; Bandaranaike's daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga).

This dashboard is part of SDGs Today. Please see sdgstoday.orgWhile female representation in government has been rising, world leadership is nowhere close to reaching gender parity. The United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service maintains a list of Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of all Member States based on the information provided by the Permanent Missions. For more information, contact the Protocol and Liaison Service here.

TIME's Person of the Year hasn't always secured his or her place in the history books, but many honorees remain unforgettable: Gandhi, Khomeini, Kennedy, Elizabeth II, the Apollo 8 astronauts Anders, Borman and Lovell. Each has left an indelible mark on the world.TIME's choices for Person of the Year are often controversial. Editors are asked to choose the person or thing that had the greatest impact on the news, for good or ill — guidelines that leave them no choice but to select a newsworthy, not necessarily praiseworthy, cover subject. Controversial choices have included Adolf Hitler (1938), Joseph Stalin (1939, 1942), and Ayatullah Khomeini (1979).TIME's choices for Person of the Year are often politicians and statesmen. Eleven American presidents, from FDR to George W. Bush, have graced the Person of the Year cover, many of them more than once. As commander in chief of one of the world's greatest nations, it's hard not to be a newsmaker.ContentThis dataset includes a record for every Time Magazine cover which has honored an individual or group as "Men of the Year", "Women of the Year", "Person of the Year" or "Persons of the Year".AcknowledgementsThe data was scraped from Time Magazine's website.

The #BeHerAmbassador is an initiative driven by Global Affairs Canada employees that identifies, promotes and develops the promising talents of anyone who identifies as a woman. Read our story on this project, which aims for gender balance in leadership positions.

This dataset covers ballots 333-38, spanning January, March, May, July, September and October 1969. The dataset contains the data resulting from these polls in ASCII. The ballots are as follows: 333 - January This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on various political and social issues. Subjects include discipline in schools, preferred political parties and leaders, and the overall development of the country. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: Canadian development; changes in savings; feelings towards the future; putting limits on debates in Parliament; the outcome of giving women more say; political preferences; the preferred size of the population; the proposed reconstruction of the Provinces; the sale of beer in grocery stores; satisfaction with the government; and the idea of going back to a two-party system in Canada. Basic demographic variables are also included. 334 - March This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on a variety of political and social issues of importance to the country and government. Some of the subjects include political leaders, parties and issues, abortion, international development and foreign aid, and lotteries. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: abortions for physical and mental reasons; approval of the language rights bill; the court's treatment of criminals; the effectiveness of the Federal government; foreign aid; interest in international development; the legalization of sweepstakes and lotteries; militant students causing damage; political preference; a politician's right to privacy; recognizing Red China; the issue of public workers striking; the use of Medicare money; whether or not regional differences will break confederation; and if Canada will be better off if it was governed federally. Basic demographic variables are also included. 335 - May This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on political and social issues of interest to the country and government. Topics of interest include: involvement in politics, opinions on Trudeau as prime minister, the nature of the U.S. vs Canada, livable income, how the government should raise money, U.S.-Canada relations, integrating neighbourhoods, whether Quebec will gain its independence, opinions on Nixon as president, Rene Levesque, and voting behavior. Basic demographic variables are also included. 336 - July This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on political and social issues of interest to the country and government. There are questions about elections, world conflicts, money matters and prices. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: the cutback of NATO forces in Europe; the dispute between Arabs and Jews; the amount of government money spent on Expo '67; opinions on who gets the most profit with the increased prices of vegetables; the amount of objectionable material in the media; the opinions about John Robarts; the opinions about topless waitresses; political preferences; provinces with power; the ratings of Stanfield as leader of the opposition; whether or not some proportion of income is saved; sex education in schools, the use of alcohol; which household member decides on money matters; which family member gets a fixed amount of pocket money; and who gets profit from the increased price of meat. Basic demographic variables are also included 337 - September This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on current issues of importance to the country and government. Some of the questions are politically-based, collecting opinions about political parties, leaders, and policies. There are also other questions of importance to the country, such as problems facing the government, and attitudes towards inflation. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: Allowing the police to go on strike; baby bonus cuts to the rich; the biggest worry for the future; the greatest problem facing the Federal government; inflation problems; will the NDP gain support; the opinion of Trudeau; the performance of the police; political preferences; the ratings of Federal MPs; the ratings of Provincial MPs; reducing the work week from 40 to 35 hours; and the Trudeau plan of efficiency. Basic demographic variables are also included. 338 - October This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on important current events topics of the day. Many of the questions in this survey deal with predictions of social, political and economic conditions for the future. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: American power in 1970; the amount of student demonstrations; chance of atomic war by 1990; changing the voting age; Chinese power in 1970; the collapse of capitalism; the collapse of civilization; continuation of space programmes; the country with the strongest claim to the South Pole; a cure for cancer; the disappearance of Communism; economic prosperity in 1970; the amount of excitement in life; heart transplant operations; International discord in 1970; the length of life span in the future; man living on the moon; the manufacturing of H-bombs; opinions of 1969; political preferences; predictions for 1990; predictions for the future; predictions of peace in 1990; Russian power in 1970; opinions of a three day work week; and travel involving passports. Basic demographic variables are also included.The codebook for this dataset is available through the UBC Library catalogue, with call number HN110.Z9 P84.

This dataset covers ballots 384-95 spanning January-December 1976. The dataset contains the data resulting from these polls in ASCII. The ballots are as follows: 384 - January This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about the unemployment insurance plan; and whether or not there should be a two-party system within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the standards of living; if all Christians will unite in the future and if women should be accepted into the ministry. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: accepting women in to the ministry; abuse of the unemployment insurance plan; the community's biggest problem; limiting the age at which you can be covered by the unemployment insurance plan; the opinions of a two-party system in Canada; standards of living; the strictness of the unemployment insurance plan; and whether or not Christians will unite in the future. Basic demographic variables are also included. 385 - February This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about the Prime Minister's comments and other political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government such as the impact of big corporations; banning the death penalty and some of the causes of crime. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: banning the death penalty; the causes of crime; children's chances for happiness; the cost of education; the impact of big corporations; the importance of unions; opinions about President Ford; the Prime Minister's statements about the economy; quality of education; and whether or not the Queen should visit and open the Olympics. Basic demographic variables are also included. 386 - March This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country and throughout the world. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the use of seatbelts; the anti inflation policy and compulsory retirement. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: compulsory retirement at age 65; democracy in Spain; the fairness of unions; the government's anti-inflation policy; interest in the U.S. election; the outcome of political leaders following public opinion surveys; whether or not the Liberal party is keeping election promises; preferred leader for the U.S. Democratic party; preferred leader for the U.S. Republican party; remembering General Franco; the treatment of the French; and using seatbelts. Basic demographic variables are also included. 387 - April This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as inflation, bilingualism and the minimum amount of income a family needs. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: allowing peaceful nuclear services; the approval of Donald Macdonald as Minister of Finance; the approval of Trudeau as Prime Minister; bilingualism in Canada; business conditions in the community; changing the Canadian Constitution; the Federal NDP leader; the Federal PC leader; fighting inflation; the minimum amount of income needed; opinions about Ed Broadbent; Opinions about Joe Clark; private business conditions; and the problems facing Canada. Basic demographic variables are also included. 388 - May This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about members of parliament's decisions and other political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as strictness of laws; the Olympic Games and inflation. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: banning cigarette advertisements; banning liquor advertisements; continuing the Olympic lottery; the impact of organized religion on life; learning both English and French in schools; whether or not M.P.'s should vote according to personal views; the Olympic games helping international relations; opinions about the teaching profession; the strictness of business laws; the strictness of labour laws; and the success of curbing inflation. Basic demographic variables are also included. 389 - June This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about the Federal government and other political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country such as opinions about receiving and paying traffic tickets, places to eat out at and living together before marriage. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the frequency of eating out; going to court because of a traffic ticket; the influence of television; licensed drivers taking physicals; living together before marriage; the opinions of the Federal government since last election; pampering children; paying traffic tickets; the rising price of income and taxes; places to eat out at; receiving traffic tickets; running the government; sale of nuclear reactors; and taking work instead of welfare. Basic demographic variables are also included. 390 - July This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions international relations and other political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as inflation; teen drinking and the treatment of farmers by the government. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: allowing the baby seal hunt; the best legal age for drinking; Canada's relations with the United States; whether or not families should be headed by the father; fighting inflation; punishing students with force; the quality of items; the strength of Separatism among Quebecers; teen drinking in the community; the treatment of farmers by the government; ways to fix the problem of teenage drinking; and the average amount of money spent on food by a family in one week. Basic demographic variables are also included. 391 - August This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about the Conservative party leader Joe Clark and the amount of government interference within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as inflation, debt and business conditions within the community. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: allowing Air Canada to stop flying to counties with hijackers; amount of debt; the amount of government interference; banning capital punishment; the biggest problem facing Canada; buying items with cash to a receive discount; confidence in the government's handling of inflation; the degree of honesty and ethics in certain career fields; the goodwill towards Canada produced by the Olympic games; the influence of multi-national companies; opinions about Joe Clark; providing service in English and French; and watching the Olympic games on television. Basic demographic variables are also included. 392 - September This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the British Commonwealth, problems facing the country and the distribution pornographic material. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: allowing a son or daughter to enter politics; the best Prime Minister for Canada; the Canadian Labour Congress; the chances of an energy shortage; changing opinions about police; the distribution of pornographic material; the government's anti inflation program; joining the British Commonwealth; the most important problem facing the country; seeing objectionable sex; the seriousness of a British Commonwealth split; types of nuclear power; the value of government services; and working for a private business. Basic demographic variables are also included. 393 - October This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about Trudeau's cabinet and other political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the preferred method of travel; International hockey and the Canada Cup. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the discovery of atomic