Japan has ushered in a new political era with the election of Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, a historic breakthrough in a society long defined by male-dominated power structures.
Takaichi’s rise marks a symbolic shift for Japan, where women have struggled for representation in politics and boardrooms alike. Her victory not only challenges the country’s deep-rooted gender norms but also stands in striking contrast to the United States, which, despite its global image as a beacon of progress and equality, has yet to elect a woman president.
Despite recent progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in the U.S. government. During his second term, President Donald Trump appointed more women to his Cabinet than any previous Republican president, with female representation in his administration surpassing that of women CEOs in corporate America or women in senior executive positions within the federal civil service.
Yet, the broader picture shows that gender parity in government is still far from reality. Data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University shows that in the 119th Congress (2025–2027), there are 125 women serving as voting members in the House of Representatives, four non-voting female delegates, and 26 women in the Senate, a total of 151 female lawmakers, or about 28% of Congress. According to CAWP and the Pew Research Center, women make up roughly half of the U.S. population, underscoring how their representation in national leadership continues to lag behind demographic realities.
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Historically, the idea of American womanhood has been closely tied to whiteness, shaping who is seen and how they are judged in public life. White women have often been viewed primarily through the lens of gender, constrained by traditional expectations of femininity and behavior. Women of color, however, have long been excluded from that narrow definition.
For much of U.S. history, they were marginalized not only by gender but also by race, often rendered invisible in political and social narratives. Paradoxically, that very exclusion has sometimes allowed women of color to navigate leadership roles differently, free from certain gendered stereotypes that continue to limit how white women are perceived. This complex dynamic continues to influence how power and representation unfold for women in American politics today.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris, an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under Joe Biden became the first female, first African American, and first Asian American U.S. vice president, and the highest-ranking female and Asian American official in U.S. history has often chosen to rise above identity-based narratives, positioning herself as a leader for all Americans rather than one defined by race or gender.
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When questioned in a CNN interview about why she didn’t directly address those themes in her convention speech, she responded, “I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender.” Her response underscores a deliberate effort to transcend the narrow frameworks that have historically limited how women are perceived in American politics.
Since 1960, only 65 countries have ever had a woman hold the highest executive office, according to Statista. The journey began with Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s election as prime minister of Sri Lanka in 1960, a moment that marked the start of women’s slow but steady rise in global leadership. The pace of change has accelerated somewhat in the past 15 years, yet progress remains limited. As of July 2025, just 14 nations were led by women, including Liechtenstein, Namibia, and Suriname, which elected their first female leaders this year. Thailand’s female prime minister, meanwhile, was suspended amid an ethics investigation.
Despite these milestones, the global share of women leaders has never exceeded 17 countries in a single year, representing less than 10 percent of their male counterparts, a stark reminder of how deeply underrepresented women remain in the world’s highest offices.
The United States remains a striking outlier among advanced democracies when it comes to electing a woman to its highest office. Even as nations across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America have broken that barrier, the world’s oldest democracy has yet to do so. This enduring gap reveals the deep-seated expectations and cultural biases that continue to shape perceptions of leadership and gender in America.
While progress is visible in representation within Congress and the Cabinet, women still face higher scrutiny, narrower definitions of competence, and persistent structural barriers. The slow pace of change underscores that the fight for true equality in political power like in workplaces and public life is far from over. The glass ceiling may be cracked, but it is not yet shattered.