Women make better president prime minister

“People want somebody they can trust to do what is necessary for the best of all citizens… It helps if the person is also seen as one of the people”

• “People want somebody they can trust to do what is necessary for the best of all citizens… It helps if the person is also seen as one of the people”
• The challenges faced by women to reach the highest sports of leadership include systematic discrimination, lack of access to equal opportunities, and cultural biases, including perceptions of body language, which can make it more difficult for women to be taken seriously in positions of power. “Those in authority make fewer movements,” explains Railton, “and in general, women make more movements than men. It can make it difficult for both men and women to see each other as equal even when positions of authority have been reached.”

Public perception is another hurdle. “The public have higher standards of women politicians,” explains Fisher. “They want them to be strong and make hard decisions, but they want them to be caring and maternal, too. It is a hard balance. For female leaders who aren’t married or have children – like former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard – the media and public can be very hard. Despite being an efficient administrator and policy reformer, Gillard was portrayed as barren and cold. Male politicians don’t get that same kind of treatment.” Research by Dr Brittany L Stalsburg published by Cambridge University Press seems to confirm this, with studies showing that “family obligation constrain the political careers of women but not men” and that “voters rate childless female candidates substantially lower than childless male candidates.”

• Public perception is another hurdle. “The public have higher standards of women politicians,” explains Fisher. “They want them to be strong and make hard decisions, but they want them to be caring and maternal, too. It is a hard balance. For female leaders who aren’t married or have children – like former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard – the media and public can be very hard. Despite being an efficient administrator and policy reformer, Gillard was portrayed as barren and cold. Male politicians don’t get that same kind of treatment.” Research by Dr Brittany L Stalsburg published by Cambridge University Press seems to confirm this, with studies showing that “family obligation constrain the political careers of women but not men” and that “voters rate childless female candidates substantially lower than childless male candidates.”