Michelle Bachelet has broken several barriers in her life. She was the first female, agnostic, and single mother to be elected president of Chile. And as of now, she is also the first president to leave the office with the highest approval rating– 70%.
Her uncommonly high approval rating can be attributed to the economic downturn. While other countries were aggressively spending money on stimulus bills, President Bachelet took $35 billion in cooper sales revenue and saved it.
When the global economy tanked, she had invested that money in sovereign wealth funds overseas instead of stimulus bills. She used the rest of the money on pension reform and social programs for women and children.
Due to her hindsight, Chile’s economy is expected to grow 5% this year.
I don't know that her gender has anything to do with the issue. However, how refreshing to see that one leader in the world decided to approach financial recovery through investing her nation' wealth rather than spending their grandchildrens' money.
Chile seems to have a nicely balanced economy and has been doing pretty well for a while. I might also comment that they make some great wines, especially my personal favorite, Carmenere. Chile seems to be the only country growing this very pleasant and robust grape.
