Women’s Leadership in the COVID-19 Pandemic
| Author | Johnson Chun-Sing Cheung,Vivien Kwan,Jenny Wai-Chi Kong |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905820978834 |
DECEMBER 2020 • POLITICAL INSIGHT 13
States led by women have had
‘systematically and signicantly
better’ COVID-19 outcomes than
those led by men, according to a
study published in August. The analysis of
194 countries, published by the Centre for
Economic Policy Research and the World
Economic Forum, reported dierences in
death rates that ‘may be explained by the
proactive and coordinated policy response’
adopted by female leaders. As of early
October, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland,
New Zealand, Norway, and Taiwan all had
lower death rates than many counties led
by male leaders. New Zealand recorded
some of the lowest case numbers in the
developed world. In Tsai Ing-wen’s Taiwan,
there was less than one death in every three
million citizens, but Donald Trump’s US has
recorded one death in 1,544. What accounts
for this discrepancy? Why do female leaders
appear to have weathered the COVID storm
better than their male counterparts? Is it,
as some contend, that female leaders are
more skilled at empathy, kindness and good
communication? Or are other factors at play?
Women’s Leadership in
the COVID-19 Pandemic
Countries led by women appear to have fared better during
the pandemic. Why has female leadership mattered so much?
Vivien Kwan, Johnson Chun-Sing Cheung and Jenny Wai-Chi
Kong investigate.
Female leadership
Many around the world have commended
New Zealand for its eective responses to the
COVID-19 pandemic. But, what did its Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern do? In early mid-
March, she announced a complete lockdown
and strict limits on social interaction within
households. The measures have broadly
been very successful. In Scotland, Nicola
Sturgeon made ‘securing public trust and
condence’ her rst priority. Confronted with
the unprecedented situation, the Scottish
First Minister believed being transparent
was the best way to avoid public panic.
Eager to keep her people informed of the
latest developments, she gave updates to
the public via media briengs almost every
day. These briengs also demonstrated
her handling of rsthand information of
© Press Association
Political Insight December 2020 BU.indd 13Political Insight December 2020 BU.indd 13 10/11/2020 15:4610/11/2020 15:46
To continue reading
Request your trial