Who was the first woman Prime Minister of the world?

Correct answer: Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1960.

Background: Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1960, after her husband S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959.

• Benazir Bhutto: Benazir Bhutto was the first woman Prime Minister of a Muslim-majority country (1988).
• Indira Gandhi: Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister of India in 1966.
• Margaret Thatcher: Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the UK in 1979.

Did you know? She served three terms as Prime Minister. Her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga later became President of Sri Lanka.

Memory trick: Sirimavo = first woman PM in the world; Benazir = first in a Muslim country.