Who became the world’s first woman prime minister in 1960?

Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first woman prime minister in 1960.

She took office as prime minister of Ceylon, the country now known as Sri Lanka, after the Sri Lanka Freedom Party won the July 1960 election. Her appointment marked a major milestone in modern political history, although women had already held other senior elected offices in several countries.

Bandaranaike served three periods as prime minister: 1960–1965, 1970–1977, and 1994–2000. During her first term, Ceylon adopted a non-aligned foreign policy and moved toward greater state control of parts of the economy.

Her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, later became president of Sri Lanka, making the Bandaranaike family one of the world’s most prominent political families. Indira Gandhi became India’s first woman prime minister in 1966.