Despite the pervasive influence of patriarchy globally, women around the world have shown their capability of creating change in the realm of politics through their resilience and perseverance, and Asian women are by no means an exception. From Wu Zhao to Corazon Aquino, no picture of Asia is complete without the inclusion of the women who have shaped it. As the glass ceiling continues to be broken, women continue to act as a force of change across the diverse communities of the Asian continent.
Tsai Ing-Wen (Taiwan/Republic of China)
President (2016-Present)
Tsai is currently one of the most important political figures of our time. Being the current president of Taiwan, Tsai has broken many barriers during her political career. With her election in 2016, Tsai became the country’s first female, first unwed, and first Hakka president. Furthermore, Tsai became the first female head of state in Asia who was not born into a political family. In her first term, Tsai made many accomplishments ranging from instituting crucial pension reform to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Tsai's leadership through the recent Covid-19 pandemic is seen as a global model: her quick response to the outbreak has led to the country of 24 million experiencing only 10 deaths to the Coronavirus and as few as 1,007 confirmed cases. With her reelection in 2020, she has managed to maintain the current status quo with mainland China while continuing to advocate for her people’s right to self-determination. Tsai’s accomplishments make her a role model for progressive politicians across the world and she was ranked 37 in Forbes 2020 edition of Most Powerful Women.
Kang Kyung-Wha (South Korea/Republic of Korea)
Foreign Minister (2017-2021)
In 2017, Kang became the first female foreign minister of South Korea after a long career in politics and foreign affairs. Kang has held several positions in both the United Nations and South Korean government, serving as the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights in the United Nations, as well as the Director-General of International Organizations in the Korean Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade. She served as Minister in her country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations from September 2001 to July 2005, during which period she chaired the Commission on the Status of Women. As the Foreign Minister of Korea, she was praised for her ability to represent Korea’s ability to participate in multilateral diplomacy. This year, Kang stepped down in favor of Chung Eui-Yong due to the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between North and South Korea and the latter’s political expertise in the area.
Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar)
State Counselor (2016-2021)
Aung San Suu Kyi remains one of the most politically relevant and controversial women in the contemporary world. A holder of the Nobel Peace Prize which she won in 1991, she has been a crucial leader in the National League for Democracy -- the largest political organization in Myanmar which seeks to democratize the country -- since the 1990s. Aung San has lived under periods of house arrest since 1988 when she first began speaking out against military rule, finally being released in 2010. After her release, she remained in opposition to the ruling military junta in Myanmar which culminated in the position of State Counselor in 2016; however, as state councilor, she was heavily criticized internationally for her failure to condemn the ongoing genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Many of her statements have even gone as far as to uphold the current genocide, such as when she questioned whether Rohingya could be considered citizens of Myanmar. These statements have called into question her previous commitments to human rights and caused many to call for her Nobel Prize to be rescinded. Recently, she was detained in February following a military coup that resulted in demonstrations across the country.
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh (Vietnam)
Vice President of Vietnam (2016-Present)
Đặng is the current Vice President of Vietnam, holding the office since 2016. Her long political career began in 1979 when she joined the Vietnamese Communist party, reaching its peak in 2018 when former president Trần Đại Quang died in office and she became sitting president for two days until his successor was sworn in. This made her the first woman to hold the title of president in Vietnam and the second woman to become head of state in a communist country.
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury (Bangladesh)
Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad (2013-Present)
In 2013 Chaudhury became the first female Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, the highest legislative body in Bangladesh. Before holding this position, she was an advocate in the Bangladesh Supreme Court for 15 years, while also being a strong supporter of gender issues throughout the country. She was awarded Asia Society's Humanitarian Service Award in June 2010 in recognition of her role as a world leader in female empowerment and combatting violence against women.
Ramya Haridas (India)
Member Parliament (2019-Present)
Haridas is an Indian politician and social worker, who has served as Member of Parliament (MP), from Alathur, Kerala, since May 2019. She is the only female parliamentarian to be elected from the state of Kerala in the 2019 election. She is also the second-ever Dalit woman MP to have been elected from Kerala. Due to her humble background and respect for the support that she received in her campaign, she announced that she would donate a majority of her salary back to the people of Alathur. Recently, Haridas wrote a letter to Narendra Modi seeking to conduct a free COVID-19 test of international air travelers arriving in India.
Akja Nurberdyeva (Turkmenistan)
Chairperson of Assembly of Turkmenistan (2006-2018)
Nurberdyeva was the speaker of Turkmenistan's parliament for over a decade from 2006 to 2018. During her time in office, Nuberdyeva took key steps to open up Turkmenistan, including organizing and promoting dialogue between her country and the European Union. Her work in strengthening Turkmenistan’s diplomatic ties was also shown in 2018 when she represented Turkmenistan in a meeting meant to prompt regional cooperation amongst the 5 post-Soviet states of Central Asia.
Roza Otunbaeva (Kyrgyzstan)
President (2010 - 2011)
Roza Otunbaeva is one of the most impressive politicians of this age. Beginning in the 1980s, Otunbaeva held various political positions in the Soviet Union which ranged from local posts to being the Soviet ambassador to Malaysia. After Kyrgyzstan's independence from the Soviet Union, she was made the country’s ambassador to the United States before becoming the country’s Foreign Minister in 1994. In 2010, after a political revolution that ousted the previous president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, she was named the interim president of Kyrgyzstan and became Central Asia’s first and only female president. The beginning of her presidency was marked by a rise in ethnic violence and instability in the country that was eventually quelled, much to her credit. In 2011, she stepped down from her position in favor of Almazbek Atambayev, completing Kyrgyzstan's first peaceful transfer of power.
Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan)
Member of Parliament (2005-Present)
Koofi currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) and is the Vice President of the National Assembly. Koofi began her political career in 2001 after the fall of the Taliban, promoting the right to education of girls in her "Back to School" campaign. From 2002 to 2004, Koofi worked with UNICEF as a Child Protection Officer in order to protect children from violence, exploitation, and abuse. She was re-elected in the parliamentary elections of 2010 and then elected MP from a total of 69 female members of the Assembly. Koofi is one of the most influential advocates for women’s rights and democracy in Afghanistan, while also playing an active role in the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.
Reem Al Hashimi (United Arab Emirates)
Minister of State (2008-Present)
Al Hashimi is a current Emirati administrator. She has held the title of Minister of State since 2008 and is also the Managing Director for the Dubai World Expo 2020 Bid Committee. She has managed the International Affairs Office of the UAE Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Additionally, she holds responsibility within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the UAE’s bilateral relations with India, Pakistan, and Sub-Saharan African countries. While much of her work has been focused on the international sphere, Al Hashimi is also an advocate for expanding female employment opportunities in the U.A.E. and, in an interview with VOGUE magazine, explained her strong belief that female empowerment has the ability to “break down the barriers that perpetuate the cycle of poverty.”
Marilyn Strickland (United States)
House Representative (2021-Present)
Born in South Korea, Strickland is both the first African-American to represent Washington State at the federal level and one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress. Before her election into Congress, Strickland was Mayor of Tacoma, where she played a fundamental role in the city’s recovery after an economic recession. As a member of Congress, Stricklan is on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, in addition to the House Armed Services Committee. She is also a Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges, and Universities Caucus, the Democratic Women's Caucus, and the New Democrat Coalition. Her current work has largely focused on strengthening the economy and advocating for marginalized groups.
Judy Chu (United States)
House Representative (2009-Present)
Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009. Currently, Chu serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In this committee, Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, giving her oversight on healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight. Chu is the elected Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. With her position, Chu helps lead the Tri-Caucus, a joint effort with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She has been successful in introducing and passing a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, worked with President Obama to declare the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument, and revived the Small Business Administration’s 504 loan refinance program.
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