{"id":29218,"date":"2020-04-22T12:41:47","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T17:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=29218"},"modified":"2020-04-22T12:42:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T17:42:45","slug":"might-the-pandemic-finally-change-the-leadership-stereotype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2020\/04\/might-the-pandemic-finally-change-the-leadership-stereotype\/","title":{"rendered":"Might the Pandemic (Finally) Change the Leadership Stereotype?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does having a woman in charge of a country impact how that country is dealing with the pandemic? \u00a0\u00a0In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, more than one commentator has noticed that it does.\u00a0 From\u00a0Forbes\u00a0<\/em>to\u00a0The Atlantic<\/em>\u00a0in the U.S., to think tanks around the world,\u00a0\u201cfeminist leadership matters.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Forbes Magazine<\/em><\/a>\u00a0wrote just last week that women leaders are saving lives.\u00a0 In the limited data that is available, researchers have already noted that \"Jacinda<\/a>countries led by women are, thus far, doing better in overall testing rates and in lower mortality rates.\u00a0 Why might this be so?\u00a0 One reason could well be how women make decisions, or as I and others have studied, how women are less susceptible to common decision errors including overconfidence, are less likely to take risks, and are more conscientious in their decision making approach.\u00a0 Women are more likely to consult others before deciding and less likely to go it alone. (I review this and other negotiation skills that women are more likely to have in\u00a0What\u2019s Sex Got to Do With It?<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In\u00a0international relations<\/a>:<\/p>\n

we know that gender equal leadership leads to\u00a0more comprehensive decision-making<\/a>\u00a0(read: less deaths?),\u00a0lower levels of interstate violence<\/a>\u00a0(as important now as ever before), and\u00a0higher levels of collaboration and consensus<\/a>\u00a0(crucially important, particularly considering we need community buy-in and collaboration to flatten the curve).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And as years of health data have shown, women\u2019s typical decision making approach already benefits individual women in their health care choices as women are more likely to get medical care and heed medical advice.\u00a0 Of course, this correlation does not equal causation\u2014it could be that countries that are willing to elect women have other features that assist them in managing the pandemic.\u00a0 As Tomas Chamarro-Premuzic notes in\u00a0Forbes Magazine<\/em>,<\/p>\n

For instance, cultures that see\u00a0leadership as less masculine<\/a>\u00a0may not just be more likely to have women in charge, but also more likely to act in empathetic, collectivistic, altruistic, and risk-averse ways, all of which reduce the damage of a contagious virus. When it comes to handling a disease, this is not a trivial or metaphorical matter: the traditional approach to facing illnesses (a stoic, seemingly tough or macho-like attitude conveying a sense of invincibility) is a particular liability in the face of pandemics, especially if you are in charge, and people look up to you to emulate your behaviors. In that sense, the best approach for facing a pandemic may not depend on biological gender (females better than males), but on psychological gender orientation (more femininity, or at least less masculinity, may be preferable).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this difference between world leaders in their approach to communicating with their citizens is also noteworthy.\u00a0 In\u00a0The Atlantic<\/em>\u2019s profile of Jacinda Ardern (wonderfully titled New Zealand\u2019s Prime Minister May Be the Most Effective Leader on the Planet<\/em>)<\/a> scholars compare what leaders say when they lead their people.\u00a0 In contrast to other (male) leaders, Ardern<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026doesn\u2019t peddle in misinformation; she doesn\u2019t blame-shift; she tries to manage everyone\u2019s expectations at the same time [as] she offers reassuring notes,\u201d Van Jackson, an international-relations scholar at Victoria University of Wellington and a former Defense Department official during the Obama administration, wrote to me in an email. \u201cShe uses the bully pulpit to cue society toward our better angels\u2014\u2018Be kind to each other\u2019 and that kind of thing. I think that\u2019s more important than people realize and does trickle down into local attitudes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The difference with our own leadership\u2013and the use of the bully pulpit\u2013 is not lost on me.\u00a0 My article for the Negotiation Journal last year is titled\u00a0Negotiating from the Bully Pulpit<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and Trump\u2019s bullying & blustering has only continued during this crisis where women who lead their states do not even get the respect of their title. (Trump called Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer\u00a0\u201cthat woman from Michigan\u201d<\/a>\u00a0just last week for having the nerve to disagree with his policies.)<\/p>\n

Ironically, having women lead not only helps other women in their countries and states but directly benefits the men too since these decision making advantages result in policies (like quicker lockdown orders) that force everyone to take better care of themselves.\u00a0 The real question (and one I look forward to researching) is if our society recognizes this in future elections and finally understands that\u00a0likeability and competence<\/a>\u00a0can work together in effective leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does having a woman in charge of a country impact how that country is dealing with the pandemic? \u00a0\u00a0In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, more than one commentator has noticed that it does.\u00a0 From\u00a0Forbes\u00a0to\u00a0The Atlantic\u00a0in the U.S., to think tanks around the world,\u00a0\u201cfeminist leadership matters.\u201d Forbes Magazine\u00a0wrote just last week that women leaders are 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