Will Women Making Strides in Government Worldwide Spread Nationally?

In the last few years, women in the American government have been making strides towards higher levels of leadership in much larger numbers than in years past and with great awareness in society.  These women project to the world images of a newer, more forward thinking America.  For example, Hilary Clinton is the first woman to make a truly credible run at the Democratic presidential seat.  Though she did not win, she is seated very high up in the government and plays a huge role internationally as one of the major faces of America and American culture.  Condolezza Rice, Sonia Sotomayor, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman have also helped open doors and keep them open for women in the American government.  Last but certainly not least, I would be remiss to not mention First Lady Michelle Obama, who is using her position to promote a healthier America.
As a result of this shift towards more female presence seated in high positions, analysts have noticed a spike in female leadership worldwide. For example, in Brazil, former economist Dilma Rousseff is the country's first female president, leading the world's seventh-largest economy.  In her company are Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Christine Lagarde, who is the new director of the International Monetary Fund and Michelle Bachellet, who is the first female president of Chile and the executive director of U.N. Women which is the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
These women are projecting images of a new, forward-thinking world (not just a country); one which focuses less on supremacy of men and far more on the need for dialogue on who is best for the job regardless of sex.

Is the United States actually progressing slower than the rest of the world in terms of women being elected in to positions of power?  It seems possible, as the U.S. is still waiting for a female president, but hopefully soon, Americans will look less at gender, and more at qualification.  The international examples named above are proof that women are capable of handling the tough jobs; so why aren't they getting them in America, where there is supposed to be equality between men and women alike?