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
[edit] 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 | .jpg)
|
 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 | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
 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 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
 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 | .jpg)
|
 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 | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
 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 | .jpg)
|
 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 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
Chile
|
Chamber of Deputies | 11 March 2010 | 15 March 2011 | 1 year, 4 days |
| Miroslava Němcová | .jpg)
|
 Czechia
|
Chamber of Deputies | 1 May 2010 | 28 August 2013 | 3 years, 119 days |
| Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert | .jpg)
|
Jamaica
|
House of Representatives | 13 July 2011 | 12 December 2011 | 152 days |
| 15 September 2020 | 26 September 2023 | 3 years, 11 days | ||||
| Ewa Kopacz | .jpg)
|
 Poland
|
Sejm | 8 November 2011 | 22 September 2014 | 2 years, 318 days |
| Betty Tejada | _Chamber_of_Deputies_of_Bolivia_(cropped).png)
|
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 | _(cropped2).jpg)
|
Rwanda
|
Chamber of Deputies | 5 October 2013 | 14 August 2024 | 10 years, 314 days |
| Bronwyn Bishop | .jpg)
|
Australia
|
House of Representatives | 12 November 2013 | 2 August 2015 | 1 year, 263 days |
| Christine Razanamahasoa | _(cropped).jpg)
|
 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 | _Chamber_of_Deputies_of_Bolivia.jpg)
|
Bolivia
|
Chamber of Deputies | 25 January 2015 | 24 January 2019 | 3 years, 364 days |
| Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska | .jpg)
|
Poland
|
Sejm | 25 June 2015 | 11 November 2015 | 139 days |
| Borjana Krišto | _(1)_(cropped).jpg)
|
 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, 71 days |
| Christa Markwalder | 
|
Switzerland
|
National Council | 28 November 2015 | 28 November 2016 | 1 year, 0 days |
| Khadija Arib | .jpg)
|
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 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Spain
|
Congress of Deputies | 19 July 2016 | 21 May 2019 | 2 years, 306 days |
| Lucía Medina | .png)
|
Dominican Republic
|
Chamber of Deputies | 16 August 2016 | 16 August 2017 | 1 year, 0 days |
| Laura Tucker-Longsworth | _(cropped).jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
 Philippines
|
House of Representatives | 23 July 2018 | 30 June 2019 | 342 days |
| Marina Carobbio Guscetti | .jpg)
|
Switzerland
|
National Council | 26 November 2018 | 2 December 2019 | 1 year, 6 days |
| Fawzia Zainal | _(cropped).jpg)
|
 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, 223 days |
| Meritxell Batet | _Consejo_de_Ministros_en_Barcelona_06_(cropped).jpg)
|
Spain
|
Congress of Deputies | 21 May 2019 | 16 August 2023 | 4 years, 87 days |
| Thandi Modise | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
Mexico
|
Chamber of Deputies | 5 September 2019 | 2 September 2020 | 363 days |
| Puan Maharani | .jpg)
|
 Indonesia
|
House of Representatives | 1 October 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 63 days |
| Isabelle Moret | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
 Belgium
|
Chamber of Representatives | 13 October 2020 | 10 July 2024 | 3 years, 271 days |
| Valerie Woods | .png)
|
Belize
|
House of Representatives | 11 December 2020 | Incumbent | 3 years, 358 days |
| Vera Bergkamp | .jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
South Africa
|
National Assembly | 19 August 2021 | 3 April 2024 | 3 years, 106 days |
| Patricia Deveaux | 
|
Bahamas
|
House of Assembly | 6 October 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 58 days |
| Bärbel Bas | 
|
Germany
|
Bundestag | 26 October 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 38 days |
| Markéta Pekarová Adamová | 
|
Czechia
|
Chamber of Deputies | 10 November 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 23 days |
| Irène Kälin | .jpg)
|
Switzerland
|
National Council | 29 November 2021 | 28 November 2022 | 364 days |
| Urška Klakočar Zupančič | .jpg)
|
 Slovenia
|
National Assembly | 13 May 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 204 days |
| Yaël Braun-Pivet | .jpg)
|
 France
|
National Assembly | 28 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 158 days |
| Cecilia Moreau | .jpg)
|
 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 | .jpg)
|
Spain
|
Congress of Deputies | 17 August 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 108 days |
| Khuon Sudary |
|
 Cambodia
|
National Assembly | 22 August 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 103 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, 68 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 | 277 days |
| Karol Cariola | .jpg)
|
Chile
|
Chamber of Deputies | 15 April 2024 | Incumbent | 232 days |
| Thoko Didiza | 
|
South Africa
|
National Assembly | 14 June 2024 | Incumbent | 172 days |
| Gertrude Kazarwa |
|
Rwanda
|
Chamber of Deputies | 14 August 2024 | Incumbent | 111 days |
| Ifigenia Martínez y Hernández | 
|
Mexico
|
Chamber of Deputies | 1 September 2024 | 5 October 2024 | 34 days |
- ^ In 2021–2023, the Parliament of Turkmenistan was bicameral.
Territorial
[edit]| 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 |