Kudos to Iceland for long being open to female leaders — the country elected the world’s first female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, all the way back in 1980. More recently, in 2017, Katrin Jakobsdottir secured the prime minister role at 41 years old, becoming the second woman in Iceland history to hold a head-of-state position.
Jakobsdottir’s political career spans decades, and she boasts a resume as impressive as you’d expect of a woman who’s ascended the boys’-club ranks: She served as Minister of Education, Science and Culture and the Minister of Nordic Co-operation from 2009 to 2013, and as deputy chairperson of the Left Green Movement in 2003.
Under Jakobsdottir’s watch, Iceland has enjoyed a tourist boom that’s led to a reduction in unemployment and an economic revolution following fallout from the 2008 global financial crisis. She's also led the charge on environmental activism, with her sights set on making Iceland completely carbon neutral by 2040.
All this, and she’s managed to maintain her status as Iceland’s “most trusted politician.” Not bad!