Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party in the United States. But even in strongly patriarchal societies like those in Central American and South America, women have made it to the highest office.
The United States is a little late to this party. We thought it'd be interesting to hear from some women who are from or living in countries that have already had a female head of state — what does Clinton's nomination mean to them?
Here are their varied points of view.
"I live in Poland, which [for] two years has been under the leadership of two women. I also live in Europe, whose leadership is strongly influenced by [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel, and it is also a Europe where the tough experience of Brexit will be coordinated by another woman, [British Pime Minister] Theresa May. So a woman being nominated for the president of United States does not come as a shock to me.
"There was only one moment when I thought about gender in this campaign, and it was when Clinton announced her vice president to be Sen. Tim Kaine and not Sen. Elizabeth Warren. I then told myself that I wish to live in a world where the thought of two women leading one of the most powerful countries in the world will be as normal as the thought of one woman leading it."
"I think Hillary's story shows the struggle that she [has made] as so many women have to get where she is. And I think it's never easy for women to get to power positions. She has had to go through a lot, but it is groundbreaking and ceiling-breaking, as she herself said, having her as a candidate for the presidency of the United States.
"I think it gives a very good example to women around the world. And I think it's also an example for women, and political women throughout the world to see that it's happening — we're changing, we're working. It is really very inspiring, it's a way to show her strength, her energy, her intelligence and the fact that it can be done."
"As a Taiwanese American, watching a woman get elected president in Taiwan was really great because the joke became, 'Oh, my 2-year-old daughter could be president of a country!' Granted, she's an American citizen so I don't know what the chances are of her being president of Taiwan. But just months later, seeing Hillary Clinton become nominated ... it's just nice to know that little girls can have that dream, because growing up I never had that dream — for many reasons, but one of the reasons being that you've never seen it before.
"This just opens up possibilities for our kids, what they can see themselves as. You look at Hillary Clinton and you look at Tsai Ing-wen and you think, 'Yeah, that makes sense.'"
"I think it's an extraordinary moment to witness a female presidential candidate onstage, for America itself, and what it represents worldwide. So it was very moving. It is very encouraging as a woman to witness Hillary address the country with so much poise and know-how.
"My only concern is that Americans should be aware of keeping their politicians in check regardless of their political party, because I'm from Mexico and I understand the US importance on the global stage so having a strong leader is important for Americans at home but also internationally."
From PRI's The World ©2016 PRI
