List of female speakers of national and territorial lower houses

This list presents female speakers of national and territorial lower houses of their respective countries or territories. The lower house is one of two chambers in a bicameral legislature. The lower house has more power than the upper house. It usually has the power to impeach the executive in presidential republics or remove the prime minister in semi-presidential republics. Its members are elected by popular votes, compared to the upper house members who are usually appointed.

National

  Denotes incumbent speaker
Name Image Country Legislative Body Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Ragnhildur Helgadóttir  Iceland Lower House of the Althing 1961 1962 1 year, 0 days
1974 1978 4 years, 0 days
Marta Andrade del Rosal  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 November 1965 30 November 1965 29 days
1 October 1977 31 October 1977 30 days
Luz María Zaleta de Elsner  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 1966 30 September 1966 29 days
Annemarie Renger  West Germany Bundestag 13 December 1972 14 December 1976 4 years, 1 day
María Aurelia de la Cruz Espinosa Ortega  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 November 1973 30 November 1973 29 days
Concepción Rivera Centeno  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 October 1974 31 October 1974 30 days
Elisabeth Blunschy   Switzerland National Council 2 May 1977 28 November 1977 210 days
Nilde Iotti  Italy Chamber of Deputies 20 June 1979 22 April 1992 12 years, 307 days
Lidia Gueiler Tejada  Bolivia Chamber of Deputies August 1979 November 1979 92 days
Beatriz Paredes Rangel  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 1979 30 September 1979 29 days
1 October 1985 31 October 1985 30 days
1 September 2001 30 September 2001 29 days
Jeanne Sauvé  Canada House of Commons 14 April 1980 15 January 1984 3 years, 276 days
Hedi Lang   Switzerland National Council 28 November 1981 28 November 1982 1 year, 0 days
Irma Cué Sarquis  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 1983 30 September 1983 29 days
Luz Lajous de Madrazo  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 December 1983 31 December 1983 30 days
Lindsay Bolden  Barbados House of Assembly 1984 1986 2 years, 0 days
Elba Esther Gordillo  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 1983 30 September 1983 29 days
1 September 1987 30 September 1987 29 days
Joan Child  Australia House of Representatives 11 February 1986 28 August 1989 3 years, 198 days
Rita Süssmuth  Germany Bundestag 25 November 1988 26 October 1998 9 years, 335 days
Socorro Díaz Palacios  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 December 1988 31 December 1988 30 days
María Maluenda  Chile Chamber of Deputies 11 March 1990 11 March 1990 0 days
María Claudia Esqueda Llanes  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 14 May 1991 15 June 1991 32 days
14 April 1996 30 July 1996 107 days
Occah Seapaul  Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives 13 January 1992 27 November 1995 3 years, 318 days
Betty Boothroyd  United Kingdom House of Commons 27 April 1992 23 October 2000 8 years, 179 days
María de los Ángeles Moreno  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 November 1992 30 November 1992 29 days
Laura Garza Galindo  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 15 April 1993 14 May 1993 29 days
Takako Doi  Japan House of Representatives 6 August 1993 27 September 1996 3 years, 52 days
Gret Haller   Switzerland National Council 28 November 1993 28 November 1994 1 year, 0 days
Bridgett Harris  Antigua and Barbuda House of Representatives 1994 29 March 2004 10 years, 88 days
Irene Pivetti  Italy Chamber of Deputies 16 April 1994 8 May 1996 2 years, 22 days
Frene Ginwala  South Africa National Assembly 9 May 1994 23 April 2004 9 years, 350 days
Judith Stamm   Switzerland National Council 1996 1997 1 year, 0 days
Violet Neilson  Jamaica House of Representatives 1997 2003 6 years, 0 days
Rome Italia Johnson  Bahamas House of Assembly 9 April 1997 22 May 2002 5 years, 43 days
Carlota Vargas Garza  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 December 1994 17 January 1995 47 days
Sofía Valencia Abundis  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 14 April 1995 17 May 1995 33 days
Rosario Guerra Díaz  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 1995 30 September 1995 29 days
Sara Muza Simón  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 December 1996 15 March 1997 104 days
Sylvia Flores  Belize House of Representatives 1998 2001 3 years, 0 days
Trix Heberlein   Switzerland National Council 1998 1999 1 year, 0 days
Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven  Netherlands Tweede Kamer 20 May 1998 16 May 2002 3 years, 361 days
Gloria Lavara  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 December 1998 15 December 1998 14 days
Ntlhoi Motsamai  Lesotho National Assembly 1999 2012 13 years, 0 days
10 March 2015 12 June 2017 2 years, 94 days
Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez  Colombia Chamber of Representatives 20 July 1999 20 July 2000 1 year, 0 days
Rafaela Alburquerque  Dominican Republic Chamber of Deputies 16 August 1999 16 August 2003 4 years, 0 days
Luisa Fernanda Rudi  Spain Congress of Deputies 5 April 2000 8 April 2004 4 years, 3 days
Elizabeth Zabaneh  Belize House of Representatives 2001 2008 7 years, 0 days
Liliane Maury Pasquier   Switzerland National Council 28 November 2001 28 November 2002 1 year, 0 days
Adriana Muñoz D'Albora  Chile Chamber of Deputies 17 March 2002 17 March 2003 1 year, 0 days
Isabel Allende  Chile Chamber of Deputies 11 March 2003 11 March 2004 1 year, 0 days
Giselle Isaac-Arrindell  Antigua and Barbuda House of Representatives 29 March 2004 June 2014 10 years, 64 days
Baleka Mbete  South Africa National Assembly 23 April 2004 25 September 2008 4 years, 155 days
21 May 2014 22 May 2019 5 years, 1 day
Zulema Jattin Corrales  Colombia Chamber of Representatives 20 July 2004 20 July 2005 1 year, 0 days
Nora Castro  Uruguay Chamber of Deputies 1 March 2005 1 March 2006 1 year, 0 days
Thérèse Meyer   Switzerland National Council 8 March 2005 28 November 2005 265 days
Marcela González Salas  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 February 2006 16 May 2006 104 days
Barbara Prammer  Austria National Council 30 October 2006 2 August 2014 7 years, 276 days
Christine Egerszegi   Switzerland National Council 28 November 2006 28 November 2007 1 year, 0 days
Gerdi Verbeet  Netherlands Tweede Kamer 6 December 2006 20 September 2012 5 years, 289 days
Nancy Pelosi  United States House of Representatives 4 January 2007 3 January 2011 3 years, 364 days
3 January 2019 3 January 2023 4 years, 0 days
Sarah Flood-Beaubrun  Saint Lucia House of Assembly 9 January 2007 September 2008 1 year, 236 days
Patricia Etteh  Nigeria House of Representatives 6 June 2007 30 October 2007 146 days
María Elena Álvarez Bernal  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 27 June 2007 31 August 2007 65 days
Ruth Zavaleta  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 2007 31 August 2008 365 days
Diloram Tashmukhamedova  Uzbekistan Legislative Chamber 23 January 2008 12 January 2015 6 years, 354 days
Fahmida Mirza  Pakistan National Assembly 19 March 2008 3 June 2013 5 years, 76 days
Rosemary Husbands-Mathurin  Saint Lucia House of Assembly September 2008 6 January 2012 3 years, 127 days
Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde  South Africa National Assembly 25 September 2008 6 May 2009 223 days
Rose Mukantabana  Rwanda Chamber of Deputies 6 October 2008 3 October 2013 4 years, 362 days
Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi   Switzerland National Council 28 November 2008 28 November 2009 1 year, 0 days
Roberta Anastase  Romania Chamber of Deputies 19 December 2008 3 July 2012 3 years, 197 days
Meira Kumar  India Lok Sabha 4 June 2009 4 June 2014 5 years, 0 days
Ivonne Passada  Uruguay Chamber of Deputies 1 March 2010 1 March 2011 1 year, 0 days
Alejandra Sepúlveda  Chile Chamber of Deputies 11 March 2010 15 March 2011 1 year, 4 days
Miroslava Němcová  Czechia Chamber of Deputies 1 May 2010 28 August 2013 3 years, 119 days
Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert  Jamaica House of Representatives 13 July 2011 12 December 2011 152 days
15 September 2020 26 September 2023 3 years, 11 days
Ewa Kopacz  Poland Sejm 8 November 2011 22 September 2014 2 years, 318 days
Betty Tejada  Bolivia Chamber of Deputies 24 July 2012 25 January 2015 2 years, 185 days
Anouchka van Miltenburg  Netherlands Tweede Kamer 25 September 2012 12 December 2015 3 years, 78 days
Anna Burke  Australia House of Representatives 9 October 2012 12 November 2013 1 year, 34 days
Maya Graf   Switzerland National Council 28 November 2012 28 November 2013 1 year, 0 days
Laura Boldrini  Italy Chamber of Deputies 16 March 2013 22 March 2018 5 years, 6 days
Donatille Mukabalisa  Rwanda Chamber of Deputies 5 October 2013 14 August 2024 10 years, 314 days
Bronwyn Bishop  Australia House of Representatives 12 November 2013 2 August 2015 1 year, 263 days
Christine Razanamahasoa  Madagascar National Assembly 18 February 2014 3 May 2014 74 days
16 July 2019 12 July 2024 4 years, 362 days
Sumitra Mahajan  India Lok Sabha 5 June 2014 17 June 2019 5 years, 12 days
Doris Bures  Austria National Council 2 September 2014 9 November 2017 3 years, 68 days
Gabriela Montaño  Bolivia Chamber of Deputies 25 January 2015 24 January 2019 3 years, 364 days
Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska  Poland Sejm 25 June 2015 11 November 2015 139 days
Borjana Krišto  Bosnia and Herzegovina House of Representatives 9 August 2015 8 April 2016 243 days
9 August 2017 8 April 2018 242 days
6 December 2018 5 August 2019 242 days
6 December 2020 5 August 2021 242 days
Bridgid Annisette-George  Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives 23 September 2015 Incumbent 9 years, 85 days
Christa Markwalder   Switzerland National Council 28 November 2015 28 November 2016 1 year, 0 days
Khadija Arib  Netherlands Tweede Kamer 13 December 2015 7 April 2021 5 years, 115 days
Leonne Theodore-John  Saint Lucia House of Assembly 12 July 2016 20 March 2018 1 year, 251 days
Ana Pastor Julián  Spain Congress of Deputies 19 July 2016 21 May 2019 2 years, 306 days
Lucía Medina  Dominican Republic Chamber of Deputies 16 August 2016 16 August 2017 1 year, 0 days
Laura Tucker-Longsworth  Belize House of Representatives 13 January 2017 6 October 2020 3 years, 267 days
Guadalupe Murguía Gutiérrez  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 March 2017 7 September 2017 190 days
Elisabeth Köstinger  Austria National Council 9 November 2017 18 December 2017 39 days
Muferiat Kamil  Ethiopia House of Peoples' Representatives 19 April 2018 18 October 2018 182 days
Maya Fernández Allende  Chile Chamber of Deputies 11 March 2018 19 March 2019 1 year, 8 days
Gülşat Mämmedowa  Turkmenistan Assembly[a 1] 30 March 2018 6 April 2023 5 years, 7 days
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo  Philippines House of Representatives 23 July 2018 30 June 2019 342 days
Marina Carobbio Guscetti   Switzerland National Council 26 November 2018 2 December 2019 1 year, 6 days
Fawzia Zainal  Bahrain House of Representatives 12 December 2018 12 December 2022 4 years, 0 days
Cecilia Bottino  Uruguay Chamber of Representatives 1 March 2019 14 February 2020 350 days
Jeannine Mabunda  DR Congo National Assembly 24 April 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 237 days
Meritxell Batet  Spain Congress of Deputies 21 May 2019 16 August 2023 4 years, 87 days
Thandi Modise  South Africa National Assembly 22 May 2019 5 August 2021 2 years, 75 days
Elżbieta Witek  Poland Sejm 9 August 2019 12 November 2023 4 years, 95 days
Laura Rojas Hernández  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 5 September 2019 2 September 2020 363 days
Puan Maharani  Indonesia House of Representatives 1 October 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 77 days
Isabelle Moret   Switzerland National Council 2 December 2019 30 November 2020 364 days
Dulce María Sauri Riancho  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 2 September 2020 31 August 2021 364 days
Eliane Tillieux  Belgium Chamber of Representatives 13 October 2020 10 July 2024 3 years, 271 days
Valerie Woods  Belize House of Representatives 11 December 2020 Incumbent 4 years, 6 days
Vera Bergkamp  Netherlands Tweede Kamer 7 April 2021 5 December 2023 2 years, 242 days
Jennifer Arias  Colombia Chamber of Representatives 20 July 2021 20 July 2022 1 year, 0 days
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula  South Africa National Assembly 19 August 2021 3 April 2024 3 years, 120 days
Patricia Deveaux  Bahamas House of Assembly 6 October 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 72 days
Bärbel Bas  Germany Bundestag 26 October 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 52 days
Markéta Pekarová Adamová  Czechia Chamber of Deputies 10 November 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 37 days
Irène Kälin   Switzerland National Council 29 November 2021 28 November 2022 364 days
Urška Klakočar Zupančič  Slovenia National Assembly 13 May 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 218 days
Yaël Braun-Pivet  France National Assembly 28 June 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 172 days
Cecilia Moreau  Argentina Chamber of Deputies 2 August 2022 7 December 2023 1 year, 127 days
Noemí Luna Ayala  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 14 August 2023 31 August 2023 17 days
Francina Armengol  Spain Congress of Deputies 17 August 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 122 days
Khuon Sudary  Cambodia National Assembly 22 August 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 117 days
Marcela Guerra Castillo  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 2023 31 August 2024 365 days
Juliet Holness  Jamaica House of Representatives 26 September 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 82 days
Roelien Kamminga  Netherlands House of Representatives 6 December 2023 14 December 2023 8 days
Ana Olivera  Uruguay Chamber of Deputies 1 March 2024 Incumbent 291 days
Karol Cariola  Chile Chamber of Deputies 15 April 2024 Incumbent 246 days
Thoko Didiza  South Africa National Assembly 14 June 2024 Incumbent 186 days
Gertrude Kazarwa  Rwanda Chamber of Deputies 14 August 2024 Incumbent 125 days
Ifigenia Martínez y Hernández  Mexico Chamber of Deputies 1 September 2024 5 October 2024 34 days
Maja Riniker   Switzerland National Council 2 December 2024 Incumbent 15 days
  1. ^ In 2021–2023, the Parliament of Turkmenistan was bicameral.

Territorial

Name Image Territory Legislative Body Mandate start Mandate end Term length
María L. Gómez Garriga  Puerto Rico House of Representatives 1945 1945 ?
Zaida Cucusa Hernández  Puerto Rico House of Representatives 11 January 1993 12 December 1996 3 years, 355 days
Jenniffer González  Puerto Rico House of Representatives 12 January 2009 1 January 2013 3 years, 355 days

See also