The Iron Girl - Mutti - Madame Non: Angela Merkel, the first lady of global politics

Abstract

Although social and traditional barriers are continuously being overcome, women’s participation in
public life, including politics, remains marginal. Even though European states enact regulations aimed at increasing the number of women in politics, few of them assume prominent positions of party leaders, govemment heads and presidents. For many years, the feminine govemment in Europę was epitomized by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990). Her political career exemplifies gradually rising up the political ladder, resulting in the position of the leader of the party and the State. One of the most prominent figures in modem European and global politics is the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. Given present standards, her political career is exceptionally original. Her entering politics and taking the highest State position exemplify the unpredictability of politics on the one hand, and on the other confirm the principle that once you have a definite goal and pursue it step by step, you can achieve it regardless of the obstacles. The purpose of the paper is to present Angela Merkel’ s path to the most prominent Office in Germany and her exceptional position in Europę, as well as to indicate the events that evidence how exceptional this path was.