Women National Leaders Trivia Quiz

Prime minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1960-1965, 1970-1977, and 1994-2000. In 1960 she was the first elected woman PM in the world. Bandaranaike led her country through challenging political, economic, and social times. Her last term as PM ended just two months before her death.

Prime minister of India 1966-1977 and 1980-1984. Indira was the daughter of India's first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, and her son Rajiv was PM from 1984-1989. Indira was a strong leader, known for successful military operations against China and Pakistan and for India becoming a nuclear power and the strongest influence in South Asia.

Prime minister of Israel 1969-1974. Meir was born in Kiev in 1898, emigrated with her family to the U.S. in 1906, and in 1921 she and her husband moved to the British territory of Palestine. Meir was a signatory to the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence and served in various government posts until 1966.

She returned as PM in 1969, serving during the challenging Yom Kippur War of 1973.

President of Argentina 1974-1976. Isabel was vice president during the last presidential term of her husband Juan and frequently acted as president due to his ill health. Isabel became president upon Juan's death in 1974 and ruled until a 1976 military coup forced her from office and into exile.

Prime minister of the United Kingdom 1979-1990, the longest-serving UK PM of the 20th century. Her political career began as a member of Parliament in 1959 and after her resignation as PM and head of the Conservative party, she received a lifetime peerage which allowed her to sit in the House of Lords.

President of the Philippines 1986-1992, following the despotic 20-year rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Corazon's husband, Benigno "Ninoy", was assassinated by the Marcos regime in 1983, whereupon Corazon replaced him as leader of the opposition to Marcos. Aquino led the 1986 People Power Revolution that put her in office and ushered in a period of greater democracy and civil rights in the Philippines.

Prime minister of Pakistan 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim nation. Her father, Zulfikar, also served as PM of Pakistan and was ousted in a coup in 1977 and executed. Benazir herself was assassinated in 2007. Of her three children, her son Bilawal and daughter Aseefa also served in the Pakistani government.

President of Ireland 1990-1997, the first woman to hold that office. Robinson was an attorney and in 1969 was elected to the Seanad Éireann (Senate of Ireland) on a platform of increasing civil rights and decreasing the influence of Catholic teachings on Irish law.

Prime minister of Canada June-November 1993, only 132 days in office. However, Campbell had also previously served as the first Canadian woman to serve as minister of justice and minister of defense.

Prime minister of New Zealand 1999-2008. Clark focused on making New Zealand an ecologically sustainable country and made some initial steps in that direction. Her term as PM was characterized by stability and making incremental changes in New Zealand culture and politics.