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When Italian president Giorgio Napolitano appointed 10 expert consultants to lead Italy out of its political gridlock late last month, it would appear he could not find one qualified woman to

Marginalized by both a patriarchal society and the narrow confines of Western feminist discourse, Muslim women around the world are developing their own form of activism.

 As they vie for the highest jobs, it's the uncomfortable question that can't be ignored. For about as long as women have been running for office, people who care about women’s lot have wondered whether one at the top would improve life for the rest of us. And last week’s skirmish in the New York City mayoral race was an object lesson.

Participants in a women's only peace conference in South Sudan's Jonglei state took the drastic step of saying they would leave their homes and refrain from child bearing if men in their communities continued to seek violent solutions to ongoing conflicts in the troubled region rather than peaceful dialogue. They also demanded that women be given greater involvement in peace talks and political decision making processes, saying more needed to be done to arrest tensions and spiralling conflict in their communities. 

The poll from the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion, Ibope, and published by O Estado de Sao Paulo shows that 35% spontaneously even before presenting the list of possible candidates, said they would support Rousseff in 2014, which is three times the sum of all other presidential hopefuls vote intention. Likewise the 35% is far ahead of the percentages registered by Brazilian presidents since the return of democracy in 1985 and as now 18 months ahead of the presidential election.

Hillary Rodham Clinton made her public debut in her new role as prospective presidential candidate on Tuesday night by returning to the issue that has animated her long career on the national stage — the empowerment of women around the globe.

Hugo Chávez knew that women were fundamental to his revolution. As he once famously said, “Only women have the passion and the love to make the revolution.” His legacy leaves a leadership void in Latin America’s new Left, yet other revolutionary leaders have also recognised the protagonistic roles women play in their anti-neoliberal agendas.