List of Female Heads of State or Government Preceded By Their Husbands or Fathers

Behind the cut is a list of Female Heads of State and/or Government whose husbands or fathers were powerful Politicians. All but one of the men where either the Head of State or Government as well. The only case where this isn't true is when the husband, a leader of the opposition, was assassinated, which propelled his wife to her position. Obviously the list doesn't include cases of monarchy. I don't have the exact percentage, but these women account for a sizable chunk of the total number of female heads of State and Government through out history.

Soong Ching-ling - Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 1981, Co-Acting Chairwoman of the People's Republic of China 1968-1972, Co-Vice Chairwoman of the People's Republic of China 1959-1975. Wife of Sun Yat-sen, President of the Republic of China 1912.

Isabel Martínez de Perón - 42nd President of Argentina and 28th Vice-President of Argentina. Wife of Juan Perón, 29th and 41st President of Argentina.

Corazon Aquino - 11th President of the Philippines. Wife of Benigno Aquino, Jr., assassinated Senator, and leader of the oppositioning to the regime that precedded his wife's.

Chandrika Kumaratunga - 5th President of Sri Lanka. Daughter of Solomon Bandaranaike, 4th Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Sirimavo Bandaranaike (see below).

Sirimavo Bandaranaike - 7th Prime Minister of Ceylone, 9th and 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. FWife of Solomon Bandaranaike (see above). First Female Prime Minister in the World.

Janet Jage - Prime Minister of Guyana 1997, President of Guyana 1997-1999. Wife of Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana 1992-1997.

Mireya Moscoso (apparently a MDCC grad) - 22nd President of Panama. Wife of Arnulfo Aris, President of Panama 1940-1941, 1949-1951, and 1968.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - 14th President of the Philippines. Daughter of Diosdado Macapagal, 9th President of the Philippines.

Megawati Sukarnoputri, 5th President of Indonesia. Daughter of Sukarno, 1st President of Indonesia.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, 55th President of Argentina. Wife of Néstor Kirchner, 54th President of Argentina.

Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, member of Swiss Federal Council 2008-present. Daughter of Leon Schlumpf, member of Swiss Federal Council 1979-1987.

Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan 1988-1990 and 1993-1996. Daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, President Minister of Pakistan 1971-1973, Prime Minister of Pakistan 1973-1977.

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, 4th Prime Minister of India. Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, 1st Prime Minister of India.

Sheikh Hasina, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1st President of Bangladesh.

Stella Sigcau, Prime Minister of Transkei 1987. Daughter of Botha Sigcau, 1st President of Transkei.

Khaleda Zia, 9th, 10th, and 12th Prime Minister of Banladesh. Wife of Ziaur Rahman, 1977-1981.