Western countries

The Western industrialised countries – Western Europe, North America and some other countries with common societal features – had the highest number of women top leaders during the half-century from 1960 to 2010, or, to be more precise, from 1969 to 2010. A total of 23 women became presidents or prime ministers in 15 states, or 48 per cent of the Western countries. In 2010, the representation of women in parliaments and governments in Western countries as a whole was 26 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively, but there were marked variations from one country another.

Wealth, democracy and feminism

Modern states were created relatively early in Europe and North America and developments in Australia and New Zealand came to resemble much of those in Western Europe and North America. In West European countries, ethnic diversity was not particularly large, although there were different peoples, languages and cultures. The Christian faith was widespread and patriarchal structures stood strong. Gradually, almost all the states established liberal democracies. The Industrial Revolution and capitalism led to major social changes. Both men and women became part of a new proletariat, but men got better jobs and higher salaries than women, in addition to higher education and positions of power. The first wave of feminism contributed to women obtaining the right to vote in most countries during the first decades of the 1900s.

Despite wars and changes in economic activity, the Western countries became the richest in the world, with unprecedented prosperity. The countries had different forms of mixed economies, with market forces and state intervention. Both women and men got paid employment, better health and more education, and technological advances made work easier. However, women were still discriminated against in relation to men. Women's organisations protested, and from the end of the 1960s, the second wave of feminism emerged, with a broad front against male power and oppression of women. More women were engaged in societal issues and politics, and women-friendly measures were adopted.

Most of the Western countries developed into post-industrial societies. They not only had high socio-economic levels, with extensive education and paid employment for women; but modernisation and the second feminist wave also promoted more rational ethical values, radical changes in gender roles and more positive attitudes towards women's political involvement.