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Japan should soon innovate on grounds that the United States has so far left untouched. By mid-October, the East Asian country could be led by a woman.
Sanae Takaichi was elected on October 4 to lead the Liberal Democratic Party, the ruling right-wing party in Japan’s governing coalition. For Takaichi to replace current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is resigning, he will need to win a vote in the country’s legislative assembly. This should happen, but some obstacles remain.
If Takaichi becomes the next prime minister, Japan would become the 50th democracy led by a woman since the end of World War II. Meanwhile, the United States would then become one of 20 countries that have kept women out of national leadership positions.
Daily Kos Reviewed data from the Council on Foreign Relations on the history of women heads of state and government elected or appointed, among the member countries of the United Nations, since the beginning of 1946. The daily Kos updated the CFR data, dated August 7, to be current last Tuesday. Our analysis focuses only on countries classified as “imperfect democracy” or better in the Economist Intelligence Group’s 2024 study. democracy index.
The US position is even tougher among its economic peers, according to the Daily Kos analysis.
Since the end of World War II, 35 high-income democracies, defined by the World Bank such as those with a gross national income of at least $13,935 per capita, have had a female head of state or government. If Takaichi becomes prime minister, Japan will become the 36th, leaving the United States among eight prime ministers led exclusively by men since 1946.
But what exactly is holding the United States back?
Sexism is undoubtedly one of the main reasons. Forty percent of voters say they personally know someone who I would not vote for a presidential candidateand 18% openly admit that they themselves are not willing to vote for a qualified woman for president. Almost 80% of Americans blaming gender discrimination for why there are fewer women than men in high office.
Society too encourage men more than women to seek higher office. And even when women run, their candidacies receive harsher media coverage. An analysis of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary revealed that female candidates experienced more gendered, even racialized, media coverage than their male counterparts, with coverage often criticizing women for lacking “warmth.” Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate last year, faced with the same misogynistic prejudice.
But sexism is not unique to America. As of early August, only 26 of the 193 UN member countries had a female head of state or government, according to the CFR. And only six of them had a national parliament composed of at least 50% women.
In a way, the United States has actually been more more inclusive than other democracies. A 2025 Report by UN Women, the United Nations agency that promotes global gender equality, found that the United States has a higher proportion of women in high-level government positions (40%) than Japan (10%). The United States is also ahead of New Zealand (35%), Poland (35%), Denmark (30%) and other democracies that have had a female head of state or government.
Another key reason why America’s glass ceiling is intact is our electoral process itself.
Many countries that have had female leaders use a parliamentary system, unlike the United States, which has a presidential system. In a typical parliamentary system, the head of government is usually the leader of the largest party in the lower house of government, who is elected directly by voters.
Think about Canada. In 1993, Kim Campbell became the first in the country– and so far only – a female prime minister. But Canadians did not directly elect her to this position, like Americans elect their president. Instead, she won a much smaller vote during her party’s leadership convention, and because her Progressive Conservative Party was the ruling party in Canada, she became Prime Minister. This is a process somewhat similar to how Takaichi is set to become Japan’s first female prime minister.
However, America chooses its head of government by voting in a presidential election. This likely introduces a distinct level of scrutiny for candidates not faced in many other democracies with female leaders.
And unlike many other countries, if President Donald Trump were to die, resign or be removed from office, the Republican Party would not come together to vote for his replacement. Instead, Vice President JD Vance would immediately take the oath of office. (God help us.)
If the United States had a parliamentary system, our head of government could be chosen by the House of Representatives, which would surely be much more important. For example, the United Kingdom House of Commons has 650 places for a national population of approximately 69.3 million…or one seat for approximately 107,000 people. If the United States were given the same ratio, the House would have more than 3,200 seats. It currently has 435.
A parliamentary system in the United States would undoubtedly mean more parties – and quite possibly a female head of government. In fact, if the House leader had served as President of the United States, Nancy Pelosi would have broken the glass ceiling in 2007.
However, another quirk of our current system has Already prevented the nation from finding a female leader: the Electoral College. If the nation had elected its president by a simple national popular vote, Hillary Clinton would have become president. In 2016, she beat Trump in the popular vote in more than 2.8 million votes.
Despite all this, the United States is moving in the right direction. The number of women serving in Congress has rapidly increased over the last 30 years. And it is very likely that this momentum will eventually, perhaps even in three years, propel a woman into the Oval Office.
Any updates?
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Pennsylvania Democrats may soon bring in a better man than Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. Since taking office, Fetterman has suffered A surprising political changedrifting to the right of the voters who pushed him into office — and new polls suggest he will face stiff headwinds in his 2028 Democratic primary, if he chooses to run again. A recent Quinnipiac University survey finds that only 33% of Democrats in the state approve of the job he is doing, while 54% disapprove. And while Republicans largely approve of the Democratic senator — 62% approve, 21% disapprove — Republicans in the Keystone State cannot vote in the Democratic primary. And if Fetterman tried to run independently to keep his seat, Republican voters are unlikely to support him over a true Republican.
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While Trump unnecessarily deploys troops in Democratic-run cities, most Americans do not want the National Guard involved in local crime control. Fifty-three percent think local police departments would better tackle crime in their state, while only 6% think the National Guard would, according to YouGov. 28% think local police and the National Guard would do just as well.
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Conservative disinformationis there Nothing he I can’t do? Just under half of Republicans (42%) incorrectly believe undocumented immigrants are eligible for Medicaid, according to new YouGov poll. Only 29% of Republicans know that undocumented immigrants are not eligible.
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We already know Americans hate Trump’s tariffs, but new data shows it’s changing their shopping habits. About 1 in 3 Americans who recently bought used products say they did so because of tariffs, according to Morning consultation. Ironically for Trump, second-hand shopping is a way to combat the climate crisis, which he says is a scam and hoax.
Checking the ambiance
United States could soon lose its measles-free statusaccording to a United Nations public health agency, while epidemics continue to spread across the country.
At least 1,563 cases of measles have been reported so far in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. data published Wednesday. This represents the highest number of annual cases since 1992, shortly after the first major health agencies. started recommending a second dose vaccine to all children.
Between 2023 and 2024, the average weekly number of cases was only 3.3. In 2025, it is 39.0.
Measles causes a blotchy rash and high fever, as well as cough, runny nose and other symptoms. It is highly contagious and poses the greatest threat to children and people with weakened immune systems. Measles vaccination is estimated to have saved more than 93 million lives across the world between 1974 and 2024.
But now vaccination rates are decreasingcases have increased this year, and at least three people died.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must be delighted.
