Are Women Leaders Crushing The Curve?
Data Suggests It’s True!
Leaders around the world are battling the Pandemic. Every leader is presented with an entirely unique set of circumstances and challenges. Hence, it’s difficult to decide who should we be choosing.
There are plenty of examples of Male Leaders getting it right. But, quite few with Female Leaders have got it wrong!
From Jacinda Ardern leading New Zealand efficiently and Angela Merkel being able to restrict the progress of the virus in Germany to the Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin also doing well in this fight, one is forced to not overlook this, and not write it off as just a coincidence.
New Zealand Trusted Science And Empathy
At the time of asking the country for an early and a hard lockdown, she stated, “We only have 102 cases, but so did Italy once”. The clarity of the message from the government has been the single most popular reason for success. In comparison to the common snapping on Journalists, she jokes about being concerned about their sleep.
She had a working relationship with the science community. When Ardern introduced the plan to go into lockdown, people understood why. This led to much higher rates of compliance among the general public.
“Be Strong, Be Kind”. She made it the most common phrase in her interactions with the public. She used social media to her advantage to form a personal connection with the people in the country. She highlighted that every decision was decisive, but with an undercurrent of compassion and understanding of the hardships associated with it.
Germany Benefitted By Rational Decisions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a doctorate in Quantum Chemistry. Her public briefings have been very transparent. She constantly reminded entire Germany that the situation was “serious — so we ought to take it seriously”.
She helped Germany set an example for the world. Despite being a huge non-island country, the quick and decisive measures have delivered positive results. Germany has the most intensive care beds and the largest-scale coronavirus testing program in Europe. Merkel has an astonishing 89 percent approval of the German people, according to a poll by a national broadcaster.
World’s Youngest State Leader Delivers in Finland
She has impressed the Finnish people and leaders around the world with her preparedness for the battle against the virus. As of today, Finland has an enviable stockpile of personal protective equipment like surgical masks, placed much ahead of its Nordic neighbors.
Along with following the norms of imposing lockdown and working continuously to improve the medical services provided to the citizens, she has taken up something unusual. She has personally fueled a social-media campaign to help curb fake news.
A novel step of including Social Media Influencers as critical workers have helped her win the hearts of the public. The country’s national emergency supply agency has worked with Influencers to help spread useful information.
Should We Leave It To The Women In The Room?
Should all countries choose women Heads of State from now on? I hope not! (I want to have a shot at becoming the Prime Minister! Feel It?) As of this day, women do form a very minor portion of the world leaders. Out of the 152 elected heads of state in the world, only 10 are women. That leaves us with a very skewed data to make a decision.
What cannot be denied is we’re in a world where we need to realize that Gender Equality is a major ingredient for efficient global health and international security policies.
Do we continue to write off one sex as too “emotional” for the position? Or Do we realize the fact that society could actually be governed better by strong leaders who have the courage to display feelings?
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