Who runs the world? Women!
Who are the best government leaders? Women!
Who is working hard to fight coronavirus? Women!
At least that is how it seems watching the handling of the novel coronavirus unfold. A recent article from Forbes magazine examined how female leaders are effectively protecting their countries during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. (1) We have to agree – women are setting new standards when it comes to managing this destructive illness – using several important strategies.
Who Are The Female Leaders Of The COVID-19 Pandemic?
Looking at governments across the globe, numerous female leaders have been found to effectively manage and heroically govern over their countries in the last several months. Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Finland’s Sanna Marin, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Iceland’s Katrin Jakobsdottir and Norway’s Erna Solberg are among such female leaders praised for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What have been these countries’ successes? Each of the aforementioned nations has effectively curbed the spread of COVID-19 and are now assisting other countries struggling to overcome the disease (Like… America). Notably, Taiwan, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Iceland, as of April 15, 2020, have experienced less than a hundred deaths related to COVID-19. Some of these countries have even begun to loosen restrictions and return to social norms. (1, 2)
The strategies that have made these countries successful are not necessarily exclusive thoughts of the female sex, but have been ideas largely shared among female leaders. For the most part, women in government seem to be on the same page about what works and what doesn’t during this crisis. Call it female intuition?
Acting Quickly
Rapid decision making has been a huge component of whether a government will fail or rise in the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional outbursts, drawn-out public debates, and hesitation on initiating policy have sadly cost many nations dearly. Excellent examples of working quickly come from Taiwan, Germany, and New Zealand. All three countries acted right away to block the spread of COVID-19.
Most prominently, Tsai Ing-Wen of Taiwan brought into effect 124 public health measures to prevent disease transmission with the first signs of illness in her country. She did not rely on lockdowns, but had the public wear face masks, conducted routine travel assessments, and asked everyone to complete regular hand washing to stop COVID-19 movement. Now, her country is able to send millions of face masks to North America and Europe where the epidemic runs rampant. Taiwan, so close to mainland China, should have been very vulnerable to the outbreak – but they incredibly managed to get by hardly scathed.
Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, like Taiwan, acted quickly too. Ardern did rely on lockdown to stop illness in her country but did so in conjunction with several other infection control measures. For example, New Zealand was one of the first countries to put travelers returning home into self-isolation and banned foreign travelers entirely. (1, 2)
Efficient Communication
Rules and regulations are helpful but making the public understand why restrictions like quarantine are necessary to retain compliance. Women did an amazing job of communicating this ‘why’ in the early pandemic days, and on a regular basis thereafter.
Angela Merkel of Germany took to the media and conveyed the serious nature of COVID-19. She relied strongly on truth, giving her countrymen the hard and real facts (like up to 70% of the nation could be impacted). Likewise, Ardern of New Zealand was crystal clear on why she needed to put into effect strict COVID-19 containment measures.
Large scale testing has mirrored much of this communication from leaders too. Countries like Iceland, New Zealand, and Germany are testing large groups of citizens and have assessment centers open across their respective nations. Therefore, the pubic can feel safe in getting help and are more likely to be offered rapid treatment with the development of symptoms.
There have been some criticisms that the successes of female-led countries in the COVID-19 pandemic are just coincidences. ‘That country is small’ or ‘They are an isolated island’ have both been offered as alternative explanations against the power of women. But let’s be honest. Every global leader who is a woman has kept her cool, been professional, and trusted her experts during this pandemic. Women have done something special here, and it is time that we recognize that. (1, 2)
