The Women Inspiring Europe 2011 Calendar features Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo in the month of September.

When Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo died in 2004, it was nothing less than an era coming to an end in Portugal. Hers was the century of women being excluded from positions of power – and she went out and conquered them for generations to come being the first female president in Portugal and only the second woman to become head of state in Europe.