The United States has never had a female President. That may not seem all that strange to people in the U.S — disappointing, but not surprising. But to people in other countries, it is a real shock.

Lots of other countries have had female heads of state, and not just recently. The obvious ones, like Margaret Thatcher in England (Prime Minister from 1979-1990), are one thing. But the countries that the U.S. is behind in that regard may surprise you.

Soong Ching-ling, was acting Co-Chairperson of the People’s Republic of China from 1968-1972.

Corazon Aquino was President of the Philippines from 1986-1992.

Violetta Chamoro was President of Nicaragua from 1990-1997.

Pratibha Patil was President of India from 2007-2012

Other countries that currently have female Presidents include South Korea, the Central African Republic, Malawi, Chile, Lithuania, Argentina, and Liberia.

In terms of female heads of State, the United States is way behind the competition. Until John McCain plucked Sarah Palin from obscurity to run with him in 2008, there had not been a major-party female candidate for Vice-President in the United States since Geraldine Ferraro ran with Walter Mondale against Reagan/Bush in 1984.

Not only has the U.S. never elected a woman, as President, neither of the major parties has even nominated one to run.

But if many Dems have their way in 2016, that will all be a thing of the past.

Hillary Clinton has not even yet announced her intention to run for the Democrat nomination for President, but hardly anyone within the party doubts that she will. The next question is, “Who will she pick to run by her side?” And an awful lot of people think that person should be Senator Elizabeth Warren.

@allewis Elizabeth Warren would make a Perfect Vice President for Hillary 2 TOUGH BROADS running America..RasPUTIN runs for cover

— allewis (@allewis6) April 28, 2014

Yes #ElizabethWarren should run for Pres, then #hillaryclinton should make her Vice President! That should whip Congress into shape!!

— sharonsmith (@mylifeatthewtc) April 27, 2014

Elizabeth Warren said again today she's not running for President. She's not…she's going to run as Hillary's Vice President….

— dw (@DMW1135) April 22, 2014

Warren recently spoke to George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week”. She said that she hopes Clinton runs for President, but did not go so far as endorsing her. There has been chatter that Warren herself should run for the top job, but she has pushed those notions aside.

“You know, all of the women – Democratic women, I should say, of the Senate – urged Hillary Clinton to run, and I hope she does,” Senator Warren said.

Warren has been promoting her new book, “A Fighting Chance”. The Christian Science Monitor called the memoir “a classic presidential campaign manifesto”. But Warren insists she is not running for President.

Warren is often seen as a non-politician, the kind of person that so many want to see in Washington — not an insider, not afraid to speak up to or against those she sees as responsible for what ails the economy and the people stuck with it, regardless of party.

Given her background and expertise on economic matters, another government position in the Executive Branch has been mentioned:

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren for Treasury Secretary, not president. #LoveLiz #ThisWeek

— Reporter Mugsy (@MugsysRapSheet) April 27, 2014

Lots of Republicans see Warren as too liberal. Warren herself used to lean Republican. Stephanopoulos asked Warren about that too.

“I was originally an independent. I was with the GOP for a while because I really thought that it was a party that was principled in its conservative approach to economics and to markets and I feel like the GOP party just left that,” Warren said.

Two strong women — a former Republican and a former First Lady/Senator/Secretary of State — on a ticket together? Is America ready?

Image via Wikimedia Commons