Decisive Women

There used to be a school of thought that war and oppression would end if women ruled the world. A leading proponent of this point of view was the creator of Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, who "posited that there is a masculine notion of freedom that is inherently anarchic and violent and an opposing feminine notion based on 'Love Allure' that leads to an ideal state of submission to loving authority.". (There was a fascinating feature film by Angela Robinson based on the achievements of Marston, or more accurately the Marston triune. It stars Wales' own Luke Evans and a dynamic Rebecca Hall and is well worth seeing even if TV-scheduled in the wee small hours, which is where I happened to catch it last weekend.)

A few minutes reflection on history should have dispelled the myth. Catherine the Great and England's Elizabeth I achieved absolute powers yet their reigns were partly defined by conflict. In more democratic times, the first female head of government, Mrs Bandaranaike, triggered a civil war in Sri Lanka the effects of which disfigure the nation to this day; Indira Ghandi, Bangladesh's Khaleda Zia and Israel's Golda Meir had troubled reigns, and we all know about Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War. I would say that it was not until Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo was appointed head of a caretaker administration in Portugal in 1979 that a female prime minister led a peaceful nation.

It could be argued that to get to the top job those early women leaders had to be not only more competent than the men but also tougher, hence the overt aggression. After a generation in which political parties have become accustomed to female national leaders, the need to be more macho than the men has diminished. What has remained, though, has been the readiness (Mrs May's swithers apart) to take decisive action, based on evidence. It is noticeable that so many of those leaders, if not lawyers, have been scientists. 

The World Economic Forum has found that
COVID outcomes are systematically better in countries led by women.

Female leaders were found to be locking their countries down far sooner than their male counterparts.

On 8 June 2020, New Zealand was declared virus-free and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lifted all restrictions except stringent border controls.

With fewer than 500 confirmed cases and seven deaths from the virus Taiwan, under the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, is seen to have performed very well.

Not all male leaders were like rabbits caught in the headlights, or virus deniers. Greece and South Korea also acted promptly. However, there is an undeniable pattern of women doing better. 

PM Ardern continues to act firmly, as the swift lock-down and contact tracing after the recent Auckland outbreak have shown. Her government has also decided to postpone the general election scheduled for this year, even though surveys suggest that she is riding high in public opinion as a result of her handling of the situation.