Argentina’s First Elected Woman President

In October 2007, Argentina elected their first woman president.  President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner won the presidency by a landslide, and is taking over the position of presidency from her husband Nestor Kirchner.  When her husband was president she helped bring Argentina out of the 2001 economic crisis, by helping fight poverty and unemployment.  President Christina Kirchner has been compared to Hilary Clinton, but Kirchner did not have to campaign hard because her presidency victory was basically inevitable.  She was not in the media often during her campaign and she rejected most debates.  Although this is a ground breaking success, it did not feel as historic as it could have to the people of Argentina because it was not a tight race.  President Kirchner is not the only woman president in Latin American.  In fact, she is the  8th woman to be head of state in Latin America.  She is part of one of the biggest Latin American countries and she will have a huge impact on all of Latin America.  In Argentina in particular, 43 percent of the people believe that “Women in politics have done a better job than men.”  Throughout nine countries in Latin American, 61 percent of women and 47 percent of men believe women in politics have done a better job than men.  This is a really shocking statistic because women, especially in Latin America, have been give very matronly roles so this is a big breakthrough that 47 percent of men feel this was about women being in charge.  In the nine countries studied, the survey also showed that 68 percent of men and 63 percent of women say they think “women have the same opportunities to realize their aspirations that men do.”  Equality between men and women is slowly becoming the norm is some of these countries.  This is a major step forward for women in Latin America and all over the world.  This will and is influencing the United States to understand that women can hold a powerful position and be successful.