WHOOPS! SPOILER ALERT
The top four - Canada (briefly), Germany, the UK, and Australia - have all had a woman as prime minister or chancellor, ie as head of the national executive government (Kim Campbell, Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher, and Julia Gillard). Neither France or the US has had a woman as president. Also, Canada, the UK, and Australia have shared a female head of state (Queen Elizabeth II) since 1952.
Recently in Australia, my state (New South Wales) had a female premier (executive head of state government), a female governor (ceremonial head of state government), a female prime minister (executive head of federal government), a female Governor-General (ceremonial head of federal government), and a female monarch, all at the same time. Most of our states have had a female premier (executive head of state government) in recent times (eg Kernot - Victoria, Keneally - NSW, Bligh - Queensland, Lawrence - Western Australia, Giddings - Tasmania). On the other hand, I don't think any state has had more than one female premier, and Gillard (current prime minister) is the first female to hold that federal office. So equality is growing, but it is not fully there yet.
Also, we have had national health insurance since the 1970s, with several twists and turns along the way. Our pharmaceuticals are subsidised, and even visits to a psychologist can be subsidised if you are referred by your GP for conditions like anxiety, depression, or stress. So women have fairly good access to health services.
15 Jun 2012, 6:52 pm
