Women in power. That is the clearest message from the swearing-in ceremony of Michelle Bachelet as president of Chile. And this simple ceremony announces the other revolution that Latin America is experiencing: women as leaders.

        There are two movements defining Latin America in this 21 century: leaders from the political left who come to power through votes, not bullets; and women who break traditional barriers to become leaders of nations, companies and organizations.

        Bachelet reflects both revolutions.

        In a clear sign of our times, she is not alone. Another example is Lourdes Flores, one of the presidential hopefuls in the April 9 Peruvian election, who is ahead in the opinion polls. Neither of the two has partners; neither seems to miss the male presence. They can manage on their own. Women in other countries are following their example.

        But the interesting thing is that Bachelet reached power democratically and without an important male figure by her side. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron assumed the Argentinean presidency in 1974, after the death of her husband, President Juan Peron; Violeta Chamorro became president of Nicaragua in 1990, thanks to the symbolic support of her husband, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, assassinated by agents of the Somoza dictatorship; and Mireya Moscoso, who ruled Panama for five years, carrying on the legacy of her husband, three-term President Arnulfo Arias.

        Not Bachelet. She did it all by herself.

        Or, rather, she did it with three children and her father's memory _ a military general assassinated during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship _ and with the clear idea that, for a woman, everything is possible.
"Who would have thought _ 20, 10 or five years ago _ that Chile would choose a woman for its highest office?" Bachelet commented, hours after it became known she had won more than half the vote. "It did seem difficult. But it was possible."

        The question is how did the 54-year-old agnostic medical doctor, manage to achieve power in a Catholic country _ where divorce was banned until recently _ and where men who predominate in almost every sector still do not permit equal rights for women?

        One of her speeches, on June 30, 2005 in Temuco, gives us clues of everything Bachelet overcame in order to get where she is now.

        Here are five of the main obstacles she cited that a woman faces when trying to get ahead:
        1) "There is a lot of discrimination in salaries and in access to good jobs." (In Chile, women only make up 36 percent of the labor force and fill the worst jobs.)
        2) "Women live approximately seven years longer than men but get less social protection. Why? Because many women stop working and paying taxes for long periods to care for their children."
        3) "We must try harder to split domestic responsibilities. But to do this we need a cultural change. With two parents taking care of a child, whether they live together or not, the result will be children who are better loved and cared for."
        4) "Some 70 Chilean women die every year as a consequence of domestic violence committed by former or current partners."
        5) "Many women suffer double or triple discrimination. How can you talk to a poor, indigenous woman about equal opportunity?"

        These clues to what prevents women from excelling can be seen everywhere in Latin America. Bad jobs, double or triple discrimination and `machismo' are sadly constant in the region. But that is precisely why Bachelet's victory in Chile becomes extraordinary. She faced those obstacles, as all Latin American women do, and she overcame them. That makes her different.

        Bachelet, however, is not alone. Every time I travel to Latin America I notice changes: The number of female CEOs, ministers, lawyers, doctors and female students in graduate courses are slowly increasing.

        I've also noticed in the Americas that in the last two decades more women than men are studying communications. And that has positive consequences.

        Today I know as many female journalists or news directors as male reporters. And all three of my bosses are women. This change in the world of communications is swiftly spreading to other sectors.

        I especially laud the change.

        My daughter, unlike her grandmothers, grew up thinking that, for her, everything was possible. A few days ago, I met several of her college girlfriends, and I was surprised by their independence, intelligence and ambition. The world, I am convinced, belongs to them. Nothing will stop them.

        Bachelet's swearing-in ceremony is the most palpable sign of this new revolution of women becoming protagonists of today's history. But it only takes a conversation with the youngest Hispanic or Latin American woman to realize that this revolution is merely the beginning.