WOMEN HAVE FOUGHT hard to gain a foothold in the halls of power and today stand on the cusp of wielding more influence than ever before. The New York Times International Weekly is presenting its first installment of the Female Factor series, a topic it will revisit several times this year. This issue includes articles about the growing prominence of women in the political life of Bulgaria, a country known for its macho traditions. Yordanka Fandakova, above center, has become the first female mayor of Sofia. Mu Sochua, top right, a member of the Cambodian Parliament, battled for women’s rights in Cambodia and is now in a struggle for her own. Benja Stig-Fagerland, an economist, helped lead an effort in Norway to find female leaders and bring greater balance to corporate leadership.






CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: JUSTIN MOTT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; SIMEN GRYTOYR FOR
THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE; VALENTINA PETROVA FOR THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE


The Female Factor

The Female Factor, a project of the International Herald Tribune, presents yearlong coverage of where women stand in the 21st century. For multimedia, a special report on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and more articles: global.nytimes. com/femalefactor