Introduction

Abstract

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a 44-year-old homemaker with relatively no political experience, in 1960 became prime minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), a small island located off the tip of India. Sensitive to her special place in history as the first woman to head a government in modern times, Bandaranaike, who followed in the footsteps of her late husband, remarked at a reception in London several months after she took office: “I have often been asked what it is to be the first woman prime minister. I must confess that this has given me a feeling of anxiety and trepidation. For, I do feel that if I fail in my office I will be letting down womankind. That has made me work with still greater determination.”1 KeywordsPrime MinisterPublic OfficePolitical ArenaPolitical OfficePolitical CareerThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.