10 Boomer Heroines

Aung San Suu Kyi

Burmese politician

Age: 65

Known for: She is one of the founders and former General Secretary for the National League for Democracy.

Greatest obstacle: She was under house arrest during the 1990 election when the NLD won 59% of the national vote and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She remained detained until November of 2010.

Off-beat honor: In 2007, the Government of Canada made her an honorary citizen of their countryshe is one of only five people ever to receive the honor.

Dilma Rousseff

President of Brazil

Claim to fame: She is the first female president of her country.

Tough times: She was once member of a guerrilla group. In 1970, she was captured, arrested and jailed for two years.

Her hobby: Shes obsessed with Greek mythology. She was inspired to learn embroidery by Penelope from Homers The Odyssey.

Cristina Fernandez

President of Argentina

Age: 58

Political career: Before she was elected president in 2007, Fernandez was First Lady during the presidency of Nestor Kirchner, her husband and predecessor. It was the first time a democratic head of state was replaced by his spouse while he was still alive.

Also known for: Her good looks and remarkable fashion sense.

Did you know?: Shes on Twitter! You can follow her at @CFKArgentina.

Angela Merkel

Chancellor of Germany

Age: 56

Greatest success: Under Merkels rule and appointed reforms, Germany has become Europes biggest economy, pulling in $3.3 trillion in GDP.

Much admired: She topped Forbes magazines list of The Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women four years in a row (2006-2009.)

Fun fact: She graduated University of Leipzig with a degree in physics, making her the first German chancellor ever to have a background in natural science.

Sonia Gandhi

President of Indian National Congress

Age: 64

Not always a politician: Despite marrying into a very political family, Gandhi avoided political involvement at all costs, even after her the assassination of her husband, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991. After much prodding from the Congress, she finally agreed to join politics in 1997 and was elected leader of the Congress in 1998.

Greatest accomplishment: In September of 2010, she was re-elected for the fourth time, making her the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party.

Did you know?: Gandhi was actually born and raised in Italy, making her the Congress Partys first foreign-born leader since the countrys independence in 1947.

Julia Gillard

Prime Minister of Australia

Age: 49

Moving down under: Gillard actually was born in Wales. She suffered from bronchopneumonia as a child, and her family was informed it would be best for young Gillards recovery if they relocated to a warmer climate.

Greatest accomplishment: In June 2010, Gillard became the first woman to ever hold the title of Prime Minister in Australia. During her first day on the job, she let U.S. President Barack Obama know that Australia would continue to support the military campaign in Afghanistan.

A heroines hero: Gillard looks up to Aneurin Nye Bevan, the Welsh Labor politician.

Tarja Halonen

President of Finland

Age: 67

Stands for: Human rights, and more specifically, womens rights. From 1980-1981, she was chairwoman of the SETA, the main Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender organization in Finland. She is currently a member of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Greatest accomplishment: During her first term as president, Halonens approval rates rose to 88% in December of 2003.

Fun fact: Halonen fluently speaks Finnish, Swedish and English. She is also studying Estonian.