In two separate interviews on Monday, Hillary Clinton praised female leaders in Germany and Australia, saying the US should follow suit and put a woman in charge.
Although she is widely expected to run for the presidency in 2016, Clinton was careful to not go as far as saying it should be her in the White House.
"Of course I want the USA to have a woman leader soon as well and I will do all I can for that to happen, though I don't know yet if it will be me," Clinton told Stern, a weekly German magazine, in an interview to be published on Wednesday. Excerpts were released on Monday.
Clinton has been giving interviews since releasing her political memoir, Hard Choices, last week.
She said during the interview that the US should follow Germany's example and elect a female leader. Angela Merkel is Germany's first female chancellor.
"We are way behind you in Germany on this," Clinton said.
In her book, Clinton raised the issue of sexism in politics, writing that former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard faced "outrageous sexism", which should not be tolerated in politics around the world.
"I don't have a problem with anybody – man or woman – contesting anyone's position, anyone's policy, taking a person to account, but doing so in a way that I thought depersonalised the very personal, that demeaned, just didn't seem to fit the Australia that I have come to know," she said, speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation's 7.30 program on Monday from New York.
Clinton praised Gillard for fighting back in her now-famous anti-misogyny speech. Gillard's speech was in response to comments made by then-opposition leader Tony Abbott, who is now prime minister.
"But the overall impact – and I saw online the speech that [former] prime minister Gillard gave about misogyny – was very striking to me because she did go chapter and verse," Clinton said,
Clinton wouldn't name Abbott when discussing who demeaned Gillard. Abbott received a special ceremonial welcome last week during his first formal meeting with President Barack Obama at the Oval Office.
In her book, the former first lady talks about the sexism she personally faced during her 2008 presidential bid.
"As to the sexism that surfaced during the campaign, I knew that it arose from cultural and psychological attitudes about women's roles in society, but that didn't make it any easier for me and my supporters," she wrote.
In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer prior to the launch of her book, Clinton said her guarded persona was due in part to sexism.
Clinton said: "When you're in the spotlight as a woman, you know you're being judged constantly. It is just never-ending."
Clinton suggested during the interview that she would make the decision to run for president after the end of the book tour.
