Breaking The Mold
Much has changed the since the stereotypical – working man , domesticated woman societal expectations of half a century ago . As a result of this changes , many women have risen to prominence in male-dominated arena ’ s inspiring millions of other women to pursue their talents . Here ’ s a few examples of female trail-blazers ...
“ Mother of a Nation ” Dilma Rousseff
The first female president of South America ’ s largest nation and the world sixth largest economy , Brazil has embraced the responsibility of replacing the much loved former president , Lula Da Silva and is working on fulfilling his belief that she will “ perfect ” his legacy . Much like Fidel Castro , Ms Rousseff came from a middle class background but became a revolutionary ; joining the resistance against the military dictatorship which ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1984 . She was jailed for three years and tortured via electric shocks for her part in the rebellion .
Once the regime was toppled , she became a Government official , first working as a n Energy minister and then becoming President Lula ’ s chief of staff in 2005 , until she announced her presidential candidacy in 2010 . She has been referred to as Brazil ’ s “ Iron-Lady ” due to her allegedly “ short fuse ”, having sacked numerous ministers over allegations of corruption but unlike Ms Thatcher , her approval ratings remain high ( 79 % at present ) due in part to her exemption of essential foods like bread , apples , meat ( and milk !) from Government tax . Currently ranked as the world ’ s third most powerful woman by Forbes magazine and regularly described as the “ Mother of the nation ” in her home country ; Ms Rousseff is a widely admired head of state .
“ Fast & Furious ” Davica Patrick
Race car driving is widely considered a “ man ’ s sport ” and has been for as long as Gandalf the Wizard can remember . British racing legend Stirling Moss recently claimed that women lacked the “ mental-aptitude ” to cope with the stress of wheel- to wheel racing . However 31 year old American , Danica Patrick is proof that isn ’ t the case . Following a successful career in Indy Car racing in which she became the first woman to win a race in the history of the series and set the record for most consecutive finishes , she started racing in the Nascar series in 2011 . Despite taking a while to accustom herself to new surroundings , Danica ’ s talent has shown through and she recently took her first Nascar pole-position . Her huge popularity in America combined with her admirable skills at the wheel have led to speculation that she could be offered a Formula 1 drive in the near future . Indeed , F1 supremo Bernie Eccclestone last month voiced his opinion that she could compete with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso . Whatever , the future holds Danica has already proven that women really can drive at the highest level and on occasion , do an even better job that the fellas . cont .... 15