Name: Ella Whan
Grade: Year 11
Age: 17 Years
School: Byron Bay High School
Hometown and State: Byron Bay, New South Wales
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
2020 has brought many new challenges to the entire world due to COVID-19, and every leader has had to adapt and overcome these problems in times of great uncertainty and change. Successful leaders have demonstrated skills of direct communication, decisive decision making and a nurturing and inclusive approach. When observing the nations that have been the most successful at dealing with the current pandemic, you may notice they all have one thing in common. A female leader.
Leaders should always display very direct and honest communication skills and be able to clearly share their message with the public. A number of female leaders exercised this when dealing with their initial COVID-19 response. Germany’s leader, Angela Merkel, was extremely logical and comprehensive with the people of Germany, about taking the crisis seriously. She avoided the stages of denial and did not attempt to blame anyone else for the pandemic, like other male leaders did. Jacinta Adhern was also consistently keeping the New Zealand people updated on their COVID restrictions and made it extremely explicit of what the public was allowed and not allowed to do. She often communicated with her citizens through Facebook live streams from her own living room, to explain the restrictions in accessible language and relating to the public at their level. This showed her dedication to keeping her citizens informed and at ease. She demonstrated that women are able to stay unifying and calm during unpredictable situations which helps empower and lift up their communities.
Leaders are required to make critical and decisive decisions while under pressure. On average, female led countries went into lockdown much earlier than male led countries, and consequently, had a much lower death toll. Taiwan had one of the most decisive responses and their leader Tsai Ing-wen introduced 124 safety measures to prevent the country from entering lock down. As of July 31st, Taiwan, with a population of 23.8m only had 7 deaths and 447 cases. These decisive decision making skills have been incredibly important in these unprecedented times, since leaving a decision too late, may have great consequences.
While leaders must be able to keep pushing their team forward, they must not leave anyone behind. Being able to care and nurture those who are scared during times of uncertainty is a critical skill. Female leaders, especially those who are mothers, often take on a more compassionate approach to their leadership styles. Norway’s Prime minister, Erna Solberg, held a ‘children only’ press conference on COVID-19, to educate and reassure the children of Norway. She knew that times of uncertainty and change bring stress and worry, even to the children of a nation, so she combatted this by keeping them informed and answering questions like ‘can I have a birthday party?’ and explained that it was okay to feel scared.
At the moment, only about 10% of the countries in the world have a female head of state, and this needs to change. These numbers should be equal, since women clearly display these needs and equal qualities. The girls of today can aspire to achieve great things, based on their predecessors. Women are highly skilled at empowering each other and their communities through tough times of uncertainty and change. These skills have become increasingly important with the changing technology, health status and restrictions. Women are clear communicators. Women are decisive. Women are nurturing. Women are worthy. This is why women should be represented on the world stage equally.
References:
Dr. Liji Thomas, M., 2020. COVID-19 Outcomes Better In Countries With Female Leaders. [online] News-Medical.net. Available at: [Accessed 4 September 2020].
Garikipati, S. and S Kambhampati, U., 2020. Are Women Leaders Really Doing Better On Coronavirus? The Data Backs It Up. [online] The Conversation. Available at: [Accessed 5 September 2020].
Wittenberg-Cox, A., 2020. What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders. [online] Forbes. Available at: [Accessed 5 September 2020].