Rousseff Declares ‘Century of Women’

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff marked what she called “the century of women” by giving the opening speech at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday. She was the first woman ever to do the honors. “I speak to you with a feminine voice. It’s the voice of democracy, of equality,” she told the gathering of world leaders. “I am certain, ladies and gentlemen, that this will be the women's century." Earlier this week, journalist Mac Margolis profiled Rousseff—who was once a Marxist guerrilla—in Newsweek, describing how the head of state “has stamped her understated style” on her country, creating “a matriarchy in the heart of macho Brasília.”