Angela Merkel's political struggle and emerging leader profile in the context of liberal feminism

Feminism is an approach that advocates that women should have all the rights that men have and that aims to expand the role of women in society. The theory argues that gender should be included in the analysis in order to explain the events and phenomena in the international system. While liberal feminism argues that women and men should enjoy equal rights in all fields, it especially emphasizes the necessity of women's participation and representation in political institutions. Women are pushed to a secondary position in their participation in political life because of their gender, and they face many obstacles due to the influence of the male-dominated structure in politics. With the removal of these obstacles, he will be able to be successful in political life. Angela Merkel is among the most influential leaders of world politics, serving as Chancellor of Germany for four terms from 2005 to 2021. Merkel became the first female president of her party, the CDU, in 2000. The CDU is not a gender-progressive party based on women's issues. Merkel faced many obstacles within the party and in her political life, and she was able to rise in her political career by overcoming these obstacles. When she was elected chancellor in 2005, she became the first woman to hold this position in her country, and also the youngest chancellor. This thesis aims to explain the relationship between the assumptions of liberal feminism and the obstacles that women face in male-dominated political life due to their gender, and that women can be successful in political life when these obstacles are removed. The reason for examining the obstacles in front of women in political life from the perspective of liberal feminism in the context of Angela Merkel is the active role of the chancellor as a woman in both German politics and world politics. Key Words: Angela Merkel, Liberal Feminism,