I would have to agree on Margaret Thatcher, she wasn’t called the “Iron Lady” for nothin’…but my favorite would be Eleanor Roosevelt.

I guess it depends on how you define “leader”. Political leader? Then yes, Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir came to mind first. But let’s not forget other types of leaders - Gloria Steinem was a great leader for women’s rights. Carly Fiorina was a pioneer in women leading in business. Barbara Walters was a leader in forging the way for women in journalism. They all have my vote, too.

Two strong women that came to mind were Golda Meir and Mother Theresa, for totally different reasons. Linda

Benazir Bhuto as official leader and Eleanor Roosevelt as unofficial

My all time favorite E. Roosevelt, think of the time slot when she was living. Men were still THE force but she made herself be heard.

Strongest female leader? Depends on your definitions of strongest and leader. If I had to pick a woman that actually held office as the leader of a nation in the 20th century, who persevered through major troubles and come out the other end having done much more good than bad - Corazon Aquino, Golda Meir and Indira Gandhi immediately spring to mind.

A lady who proudly says: “I don’t want people to agree with me. I want people who go ahead and do their jobs” could only come from Margaret Thatcher. She was a physical “presence” - a lady (and I mean a LADY) who stood strong and tall, not afraid of debate, never backing down on her beliefs, and willing to take on all comers. She did not want namby-pamby underlings ever to do her bidding. No way. There was something in her being, her mind, that said she not only liked challenges, liked disagreements (as long as she won in the end). And as we saw, she did not shrink, back off, or hide in the confines of Number 10 Downing Street as other so-called leaders seem to do. She was brilliant in her strategy with “scraps” not beneath her - for they sharpened her, honed her, and she held to her beliefs and prevailed. Those on the other side of the political fence may have been infuriated with her, but who could not admire her for holding her ground — but what I admire more than anything else is that throughout it all she remained A LADY. No low-down catfights, for if you are confident in yourself and you have a brilliant brain, you are able to remain in command - and command at the highest level. Margaret Thatcher was a commanding presence in her physical looks, her look - a look that just said “you are not going to put anything over on ME”, and yet she carried with her - what should I call it - “an air about her” that could not help to be admired. She did not intend to be a man. She was definitely not a feminist or ran on a woman’s label. She was neither. Let’s just call Margaret Thatcher a force in the 20th century, a force that not only women of the 21st but political leaders everywhere should look back to and study — for we have not seen her like for a long, long time. As the British say: CHEERS. Cheers to the best: Margaret Thatcher.

I see it this way: Those gals took the direct road to power, the one most traveled. However, most women can’t pay those tolls. Most have to veer off to find unique (their own) avenues of expression. Wiki says, “Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity … at the time of her death … was operating 610 missions in 123 countries.” Also heard that even one-to-one she was a rather formidable force. Just a thought.