The world had a number of remarkable women throughout its timeline – and one of those women is no other than Michelle Bachelet. Many children, boys, and girls dreamed of becoming the president when they grew up – but how many actually managed this achievement? Well, Michelle did.
A Rough Start
Michelle Bachelet got her education at the University of Chile, where she studied medicine. After that, she continued her studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin – returning to Chile upon receiving her degree. However, her studies did not end there, as she studied military affairs in both Chile and Washington D.C.
Bachelet did not have quite a good family history – many of her years actually being spent in exile in Australia. Because of this, she had difficulties in finding employment in Chile upon her return – eventually managing to join a medical clinic that treated torture victims.
Her studies and experience allowed her to become a health minister in 2000 and then she was the first woman to become a defense minister in Chile. However, her most important job was as president of Chile – again, she was the first woman to ever become president of the country.
How She Made a Difference
As the first woman president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet served from 2004 to 2008, and then 2014 to 2016. During her time as president, she was a symbol of political empowerment for women – a time when men were no longer at the top of the chain. With Michelle Bachelet becoming president of Chile, it proved not only to Chile but also to the world that women had the power to do whatever it was that they wanted.
And she did a great job at her role as well. When she was president, her policies and decisions allowed her to weather the 2008 global financial crisis. Moreover, she managed to reduce the poverty rate by 12.5% according to the UN and MacroTrends, bringing it from 30.30% (as it was in 2003) to 3.70% (in 2017). Bachelet actually increased the expansion of Chile while she was president.
Bachelet had multiple other accomplishments as well. Since she was appointed as a High Commissioner for Human Rights, she became not only the voice of women but of the rest of the people as well. She deeply expressed her concerns with global warming, turning Chile into a beautiful “green zone” and taking steps into improving the global situation. Plus, considering that she was a torture survivor during the Chile military coup of Augusto Pinochet, she began regarding herself as the “voice for the voiceless.”
A Voice of Power
Michelle Bachelet got so high on the political scale mostly due to her determinant nature – the desire to speak for her people. She was president for two times, all because she spoke on behalf of the citizens, she was close to them and cared for human rights. Because of this, she is regarded today as an extraordinary woman that made Chile an important place in the world.