This is a list of political offices which have been held by a woman, with details of the first woman holder of each office. It is ordered by the countries in Asia and by dates of appointment. Please observe that this list is meant to contain only the first woman to hold of a political office, and not all the female holders of that office.

Afghanistan

Member of Parliament – Kubra Noorzai, Aziza Amani, Naiba from Khulm and Najiba from HeratM. Saed: Women in Afghanistan history – 1964 Senator – Roqia Abubakr, Khadija Ahrari, Masuma Esmati-Wardak, Anahita Ratebzad, Aziza Gardizialso chairperson of Women's Coordinating Committee of Afghanistan and Homeira Seljuqi – 1965 Minister (Health minister) – Kubra Noorzai – 1965 Director of the Foreign and Publication Department – Maliha Zafar – 1967 Minister without Portfolio – Shafriqua Siayel – 1971 Advisor for the Ministry of Planning – Shafriqua Siayel – 1972 Minister of state for Women's Affairs – Shafriqua Siayel – 1976

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Ambassador (to Yugoslavia) – Anahita Ratebzad – 1978 Minister of Social Affairs – Anahita Ratebzad – 1978 Minister of Education – Anahita Ratebzad – 1979 Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council (Vice President) – Anahita Ratebzad – 1980

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Deputy Premier Minister – Sima Samar – 2001 Minister of Youth Affairs – Amina Afzali – 2004 Governor – Habiba Sorabi – 2005 Mayor – Azra Jafari, (Nili) – 2008 Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations – Adela Raz – 2018 Chairwoman of Election Commission – Hawa Alam Nooristani – 2019 Chairwoman of IECC – Zuhra Bayan Shinwari –

Azerbaijan

Soviet Socialist Republic Cabinet Minister – Ayna Sultanova – 1938 Minister of Justice – Ayna Sultanova – 1938 Chairperson of the Committee for Science and Technology at the Council of Ministers – Tahira Tahirova – 1957 Minister of Education – Sakina Aliyeva – 1958 Minister of Foreign Affairs – Tahira Tahirova – 1959 Deputy Premier Minister – Tahira Tahirova – 1963 Vice-president – S.M. Mamedaliyeva – 1963 Minister of Higher and Special Education – Zuleikha Ismail-Kyzy Guseinova – 1965 Minister Social Affairs – L.P. Lykova – 1965 Head of the Central Committee Department of Agriculture – L.D. Radzhabova – 1971 Minister of Public Service/Consumers Protection - Zuleikha Mageran Kyzy Gasanova – 1974 Minister of Trade – Svetlana Chingvitz-Kyzy Kasimova – 1979 Minister of Foreign Affairs – Elmira Gafarova – 1983 Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet – Elmira Gafarova – 1989 Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan – Elmira Gafarova – 1990

Republic Chairwoman of the National Assembly – Elmira Gafarova – 1991 Secretary of State – Lala Shevket – 1993 Minister of Justice – Südaba Hasanova -1995 Vice President of Azerbaijan – Mehriban Aliyeva – 2017

Bahrain

Member of the Council of Representatives – Lateefa Al Gaood – 2006 (first female MP in the Gulf region)

Bangladesh Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare – Nurjahan Murshed – 1972 Minister of Social Affairs and Family Planning – Nurjahan Murshed – 1973 Minister of Education – Badrunnessa Ahmed – 1973 Minister of Land Administration and Land Reforms – Benita Roy – 1975 Minister of Women's Affairs – Aminah Rahman – 1978 Prime Minister – Khaleda Zia – 1991 Minister of Agriculture – Matia Chowdhury – 2009 Minister of Home Affairs – Sahara Khatun – 2009 Minister of Foreign Affairs – Dipu Moni – 2009 Speaker of the Parliament – Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury – 2013 Minister of State for Public Administration – Ismat Ara Sadek – 2014 Minister of State of Women and Children Affairs – Meher Afroz Chumki – 2014

Bhutan Regent – Ashi Kesang – 1972 King's Representative in the Ministry of Finance – Ashi Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck – 1974 Special Advisor in the Ministry of Finance – Ashi Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck – 1996 Chair of Council of Ministers – Ashi Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck – 1998 Minister of Works and Human Settlement – Aum Dorji Choden – 2013

Cambodia Member of Parliament – Tong Siv Eng – 1958 Secretary of State for Labour – Tong Siv Eng – 1959 Minister of Social Action – Tong Siv Eng – 1961 Minister of Health – Tong Siv Eng – 1963 Secretary of State for National Education – Diep Dinar – 1966 Secretary of State for Information – Chine Renne – 1969 Secretary of State for Tourism – Ung Mung – 1969 Cambodian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations – Nhoung Peng – 1970Jacobsen, Trudy, Lost goddesses: the denial of female power in Cambodian history, NIAS Press, Copenhagen, 2008. Under-Secretary of State for Finances – Pheng Santhan – 1972 Under-Secretary of State for Labour and Social Welfare – Plech Phirun – 1972 Minister of Education – Ieng Thirith – 1975 Minister of Culture and Education – Yun Yat – 1976 Provincial Governor – Mithuna Phuthong – 2017

China

Early Imperial China Regent (Empress Regent of China) – Lü Zhi – 202 BC

Mid-Imperial China Monarch (Empress Regnant of China) - Wu Zetian – 690 AD

Republic of China (1912–1949)

Minister for Women's Affairs – He Xiangning – 1923 Song, Yuwu (2013). Biographical Dictionary of the People's Republic of China. McFarland. p. 117. . Member of Government Council – Song Qingling – 1927 Member of the Central Government Council – He Xianging – 1928 Acting Head of the Guangzhou government – Chen Bijun – 1944Lily Xiao Hong Lee: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 2: Twentieth Century Member of the National Council of the Nationalist Government – Wu Yifang – 1947

People's Republic of China

National level Cabinet minister – Minister of Textile Industry – Feng Yunhe – 1949 Vice Chairperson (Vice President) – Soong Chingling – 1959 Chairperson (Co-acting president) – Soong Ching-ling – 1968 Member of the Politburo – Jiang Qing – 1969 The first five were: Jiang Qing 1969, Ye Qun 1969, Deng Yingchao 1978, Wu Yi 2002, Liu Yandon: Vice Premier – Wu Guixian – 1975 Honorary President (Head of State) – Soong Ching-ling – 1981 Governor (of Jiangsu) – Gu Xiulian – 1983

Individual ministries or offices Minister of Health – Li Dequan – 1949 Justice Minister – Shi Liang – 1949–1959 Vice Chairperson of the Central People's Government – Soong Chingling – 1949 Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference – Soong Chingling – 1954 Minister of People's Supervision – Qian Ying – 1954 Minister of Interior – Qian Ying – 1959 Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress – Soong Ching-ling – 1959 State Councillor – Chen Muhua – 1982 Auditor General (National Audit Office) – Hu Zejun – 2017

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Minister and Commissioner for Oversea Chinese – He Xiangning – 1949 Deputy Chairperson of Economic Planning Council – Shirley Kuo Wang-jung – 1973 Minister of Finance – Shirley Kuo Wang-jung – 1988 Minister of State and Chairperson of Council of Economic Development – Shirley Kuo Wang-jung – 1990 Minister of Transport and Communication – Yeh Chu-lan – 2000 Vice President of the Republic of China – Annette Lu – 2000–2008 President of the Republic of China – Tsai Ing-wen – 2016

East Timor

Minister of Justice – Ana Maria Pessoa Pereira da Silva Pinto – 2001 Minister of Finance – Emilia Maria Valéria Pires – 2007 Foreign minister (acting) – Adalgisa Magno Guterres – 2007

Hong Kong

British Hong Kong

Deputy Secretary for Government – Anson Chan – 1975 Director of Social Services – Anson Chan – 1980 Commissioner for Culture – Elizabeth Chi-lieh Wong-Chien – 1982 Secretary of Economy – Anson Chan – 1987 Chief Secretary – Anson Chan – 1993

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region President of the Legislative Council – Rita Fan – 1997 Secretary for Justice – Elsie Leung – 1997 Chief Secretary – Anson Chan – 1997 Chief Executive – Carrie Lam – 2017

India

British Raj Leader of a Major Party – Dr. Annie Besant – 1917 Member of Provincial Legislative Assembly – Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi – 1921 Member of Central Legislature – Radhabai Subbarayan – 1937 Provincial Minister – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – 1938 Member of National Defence Council – Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz – 1942

Dominion and Republic of India

National level

Cabinet minister – Minister of Health – Rajkumari Amrit Kaur – 1947 Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi – 1966 Leader of the House in Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) – Indira Gandhi – 1967 Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) – Sonia Gandhi – 1999 President – Pratibha Patil – 2007 Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) – Meira Kumar – 2009 Tribal President and First President to be born after independence – Droupadi Murmu – 2022 Governor – United Provinces - Sarojini Naidu – 1947

Individual ministries Minister of Communications – Rajkumari Amrit Kaur – 1951 Minister of State For Home Affairs – Maragatham Chandrasekar – 1962 Minister of Information and Broadcasting – Indira Gandhi – 1964 Minister of State of External Affairs – Lakshmi N. Menon – 1966 Minister of External Affairs – Indira Gandhi – 1967 Minister of Finance – Indira Gandhi – 1970 Minister of Home Affairs – Indira Gandhi – 1970 Minister of Defence – Indira Gandhi – 1975 Chief Election Commissioner of India – V. S. Ramadevi – 1990 Minister of Railways – Mamata Banerjee – 1999 Ministry of Women and Child Development – Mamata Banerjee – 2006 Ministry of Minority Affairs – Najma Heptullah – 2014

Regions

Andhra Pradesh Governor of United Andhra Pradesh – Sharada Mukherjee – 1977 Home Minister of United Andhra Pradesh – Sabita Indra Reddy – 2009 Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh - Mekathoti Sucharita – 2019

Assam Chief Minister – Anwara Taimur – 1980

Bihar Chief Minister – Rabri Devi – 1997

Delhi Chief Minister – Sushma Swaraj – 1998 Mayor – Aruna Asaf Ali – 1958

Goa Chief Minister – Shashikala Kakodkar (1973–79)

Gujarat Chief Minister – Anandiben Patel – 2014 Governor – Sharada Mukherjee – 1978

Himachal Pradesh Governor – Sheila Kaul – 1995

Karnataka Governor – V.S. Ramadevi – 1999

Kerala Governor – Jothi Venkatachalam – 1977

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister – Uma Bharati – 2003

Maharashtra Governor – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – 1963

Odisha Chief Minister – Nandini Satpathy – 1972

Punjab Chief Minister – Rajinder Kaur Bhattal – 1996

Rajasthan Governor – Pratibha Patil – 2004 Chief Minister – Vasundhara Raje – 2003

Tamil Nadu Governor – Fathima Beevi – 1997 Chief Minister – V. N. Janaki – 1989

Uttarakhand Governor – Margaret Alva – 2009

Uttar Pradesh Governor – Sarojini Naidu – 1947 Chief Minister – Sucheta Kripalani – 1963

West Bengal Governor – Padmaja Naidu – 1956 Chief Minister – Mamata Banerjee – 2011

Indonesia

Ancient Indonesia Queen regnant of Kalingga – Shima – c. 674 Queen regnant of Medang – Isyana – c. 947 Queen regnant of Bali – Mahendradatta – c. 980 Queen regnant of Majapahit – Tribhuwana Wijaya – 1328 Queen regnant of Bone – We Banrigau Makkaleppie Daeng Marowa - 1496 Queen regnant of Kalinyamat – Ratu Kalinyamat – 1549 Sultanah of Aceh – Taj ul-Alam – 1641

Dutch East Indies Member of Volksraad – Cornelia Razoux Schultz-Metzer – 1935

East Indonesia Mayor of Makassar – Salawati Daud – 1949

Republic of Indonesia

National level

Deputy Speaker of the People's Representative Council/People's Consultative Assembly – Fatimah Achmad – 1997 Cabinet minister – Minister of Social Service – Maria Ulfah Santoso – 1946 Vice President – Megawati Sukarnoputri – 1999 President – Megawati Sukarnoputri – 2001 Governor – Ratu Atut Chosiyah – 2005 Mayor – Tri Rismaharini – 2010 (First female mayor of Surabaya who was elected directly after the 1998 reformation) Speaker of the People's Representative Council – Puan Maharani – 2019 Audit Board of Indonesia (chairperson) – Isma Yatun – 2022

Individual ministries