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Japan is predicted to quickly break floor that the US has to date left intact. By mid-October, the East Asian nation might be led by a lady.
Sanae Takaichi was elected on Oct. 4 to guide the Liberal Democratic Social gathering, the right-wing governing social gathering of Japan’s coalition authorities. For Takaichi to interchange present Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who’s resigning, she might want to win a vote within the nation’s legislature. That is predicted to occur, however some hurdles stay.
If Takaichi turns into the subsequent prime minister, Japan would turn out to be the fiftieth democracy led by a lady because the finish of World Conflict II. In the meantime, the U.S. would then turn out to be one in all solely 20 that has saved ladies out of nationwide management.
Day by day Kos reviewed information from the Council on International Relations on the historical past of elected or appointed feminine heads of state and authorities, amongst United Nations member nations, because the starting of 1946. Day by day Kos up to date CFR’s information, which dated to Aug. 7, to be present as of this previous Tuesday. Our evaluation focuses solely on nations that rank as a “flawed democracy” or higher on the Economist Intelligence Group’s 2024 democracy index.
The U.S. place is much more stark amongst its financial friends, in response to Day by day Kos’ evaluation.
For the reason that finish of World Conflict II, 35 high-income democracies—outlined by the World Financial institution as these with a gross nationwide earnings of at the very least $13,935 per capita—have had a feminine head of state or authorities. If Takaichi ascends to the function of prime minister, Japan would turn out to be the thirty sixth, leaving the U.S. as one in all simply eight led solely by males since 1946.
However what precisely is holding the U.S. again?
Sexism is little doubt a giant cause. Forty % of voters say they personally know somebody who wouldn’t vote for a feminine presidential candidate, and 18% overtly admit they themselves aren’t open to casting their presidential vote for a certified girl. Almost 80% of Individuals blame gender discrimination for why there have been fewer ladies than males in greater workplace.
Society additionally encourages males greater than ladies to hunt greater workplace. And even when ladies do run, their candidacies face harsher media protection. One evaluation of the 2020 Democratic presidential main found that feminine candidates suffered extra gendered and even racialized media protection than their male counterparts did, with protection usually criticizing the ladies for missing “warmth.” Kamala Harris, final 12 months’s Democratic nominee for president, confronted the identical misogynistic bias.
However sexism isn’t distinctive to America. As of early August, solely 26 of 193 U.N. member nations had a feminine head of state or authorities, in response to CFR. And solely six had a nationwide legislature composed of at the very least 50% ladies.
In some methods, the U.S. has really been extra inclusive than different democracies. A 2025 report by U.N. Girls, the United Nations’ company that promotes international gender equality, discovered the U.S. with the next share of girls in high governmental positions (40%) than Japan had (10%). The U.S. was additionally forward of New Zealand (35%), Poland (35%), Denmark (30%), and different democracies which have had a feminine head of state or authorities.
One other key cause why America’s glass ceiling is unbroken is our electoral course of itself.
Many international locations which have had feminine leaders use a parliamentary system, not like the U.S., which has a presidential system. Beneath a typical parliamentary system, the pinnacle of presidency is often the chief of the biggest social gathering within the authorities’s decrease home, which is immediately elected by voters.
Take into account Canada. In 1993, Kim Campbell turned the nation’s first—and to date solely—feminine prime minister. However Canadians didn’t immediately elect her to the function in the way in which Individuals elect their president. As a substitute, she gained a a lot smaller vote at her social gathering’s management conference, and since her Progressive Conservative Social gathering was the governing social gathering of Canada, she turned prime minister. This can be a considerably comparable course of to how Takaichi is about to turn out to be Japan’s first feminine prime minister.
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected chief of Japan’s ruling social gathering, the Liberal Democratic Social gathering, leaves the social gathering’s headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 10.
Nonetheless, America chooses its head of presidency by way of voting in a presidential election. This probably introduces a definite stage of scrutiny for candidates that isn’t confronted in lots of different democracies which have had a feminine chief.
And in contrast to in lots of different international locations, if President Donald Trump had been to go away or resign or be faraway from workplace, the Republican Social gathering wouldn’t get collectively and vote on his substitute. As a substitute, Vice President JD Vance would instantly be sworn in. (God assist us.)
If the U.S. had a parliamentary system, our head of presidency is perhaps chosen by the Home of Representatives, which might absolutely be a lot bigger. As an example, the U.Ok.’s Home of Commons has 650 seats for a nationwide inhabitants of about 69.3 million—or one seat for each 107,000 folks or so. Give the U.S. that very same ratio, and the Home would have over 3,200 seats. It presently has 435.
A parliamentary system within the U.S. would little doubt imply extra events—and really presumably a feminine head of presidency. In truth, if the chief of the Home functioned because the U.S. president, Nancy Pelosi would’ve damaged the glass ceiling in 2007.
Nonetheless, one other quirk of our present system has already stood in the way in which of the nation getting a feminine chief: the Electoral Faculty. If the nation elected its president by a easy nationwide fashionable vote, Hillary Clinton would have turn out to be president. In 2016, she beat Trump within the fashionable vote by over 2.8 million votes.
Regardless of all of this, the U.S. is trending in the suitable course. The variety of ladies serving in Congress has quickly elevated over the previous 30 years. And it’s very probably the momentum will finally, possibly even in three quick years, propel a lady into the Oval Workplace.
Any updates?
Pennsylvania Democrats could quickly faucet a greater man than Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. Since taking workplace, Fetterman has undergone a startling political shift, drifting to the suitable of the voters who pushed him into workplace—and new polling suggests he’ll face onerous headwinds in his 2028 Democratic main, ought to he select to run once more. A current Quinnipiac College ballot finds that simply 33% of state Democrats approve of the job he’s doing, whereas 54% disapprove. And whereas Republicans broadly approve of the Democratic senator—62% approve, 21% disapprove—Keystone State Republicans can’t vote in Democratic primaries. And if Fetterman had been to endeavor an unbiased run at retaining his seat, it’s unlikely Republican voters will again him over an precise Republican.
As Trump needlessly deploys troops to Democrat-run cities, many of the American public doesn’t need the Nationwide Guard concerned in controlling native crime. Fifty-three % suppose native police departments would higher deal with crime of their states, whereas simply 6% suppose the Nationwide Guard would, in response to YouGov. One other 28% suppose native police and the Nationwide Guard would do equally effectively.
Conservative misinformation, is there something it may’t do? Slightly below half of Republicans (42%) falsely imagine that undocumented immigrants are eligible to obtain Medicaid, in response to new YouGov polling. Solely 29% of Republicans know undocumented immigrants are ineligible.
We already know Individuals hate Trump’s tariffs, however new information finds that it’s altering their procuring habits. About 1 in 3 Individuals who just lately shopped secondhand say they’re doing so due to the tariffs, in response to Morning Seek the advice of. Satirically for Trump, secondhand procuring is one solution to fight the local weather disaster, which he claims is a con job and a hoax.
Vibe examine
America may quickly lose its measles-free standing, in response to a United Nations company on public well being, as outbreaks proceed to unfold throughout the nation.
A minimum of 1,563 measles instances have been reported to date in 2025, in response to Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention information revealed on Wednesday. That makes for probably the most yearly instances since 1992, which was quickly after main well being organizations first began recommending a second dose of the vaccine to all youngsters.
Between 2023 and 2024, the weekly common variety of instances was simply 3.3. In 2025, it’s 39.0.
Measles causes a blotchy rash and a excessive fever, together with a cough, a runny nostril, and different signs. It’s extremely contagious and bears probably the most menace to youngsters and people with compromised immune techniques. Measles vaccination is estimated to have saved over 93 million lives internationally between 1974 and 2024.
However now vaccination charges are falling, instances have climbed this 12 months, and at the very least three folks have died.
Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should be thrilled.
