You're listening to her story made history on the BBC World Service with me

Lee's Doucette.

When I was Minister of Health, little girl will tell me,

when I grew up, I want to be a doctor as you.

And then they would say, when I grew I want to be a president as you.

So to change the scope of possibilities for girls,

or that all women who could tell us me now I can die

happily because I have seen a women present.

But I felt that pressure, if I may say, that historical responsibility, being the first, because if a man is not a good president, nobody will say he is not a good president because he's a man. But if a woman does any mistake, big mistake, they would say, you see, we told you he shouldn't about it for a woman.

Michelle Bacheette, first female president of Chile, now the UN's human rights chief.

How did she get there?

How did a left-wing human rights activist, the daughter of a general who suffered

terribly under military dictatorship, end up becoming her country's defense minister and then

elected twice for the top job.

Her story made history.

Michelle Bachelet was born in a middle-class suburb of the Chilean capital Santiago.

Her mother was an archaeologist, her father in the military.

So she spent much of her childhood moving from one Chilean military base to another,

as well as to Washington, where her father was posted to the Chilean embassy.

And when they returned home, Chile was soon in the throes of tumultuous change.

You spent some of your formative years under a right-wing military dictatorship in Chile.

1973, General Pinochet overthrows the government of Salador Aieni.

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