PM: Women better leaders in COVID-19 crisis

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has reiterated her belief that the reason women seem to make better leaders is because of their “caring” way.

She made the comments yesterday morning on Good Morning Britain, hosted by Kate Garraway, on British channel iTV. Mottley was a guest along with former Denmark Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and former Australia Prime Julia Gillard.

According to Mottley, who is Barbados’ first female leader, women are more “caring” than males, and consider more the impact their decisions will have on people’s feelings.

“I think the issue is more really how women operate in terms of caring . . . . And in many instances, we treat issues how we would treat the household and the family. Not in a negative way, in a way that recognises unless you drill down to things and see where you are in respect to how people are operating, and recognise how people are feeling and listening to you, you cannot change behaviour,” she said.

The island’s eighth Prime Minister told the primarily British audience that she was in no way trying to be sexist, but stressed that because more men were in charge did not mean they were better leaders.

“We live in a patriarchal world where men are often seen as the leaders, the ones to take charge, but this does mean that they are better leaders. I don’t think [it is sexist]. I think in households, women negotiate in everything we do every day,” she said.

As it relates to the managing of the COVID-19 crisis, Mottley said emotions and feelings were needed more than an “academic approach”.

“In this circumstance, it’s behaviour that can contain the virus. These things tend to reflect more because we will pause and not just look at it academically, but think ‘how will it impact the people who are hurting?’,” she said.

Mottley said her comments were not to be interpreted that she thinks there is no place for men

“Women also have to cooperate with men and we get that, so it gives us a complete picture, and I try not to use the sexist prism. But at the same time, I want us to understand the attributes women bring to public office do make a difference,” the Prime Minister said.

Gillard told viewers that people want strength and empathy, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

“I am not a believer that there is an inherent difference between men’s brains and women’s brains but men and women are socialised differently. What we are seeing in this Coronavirus crisis is that people do want strength and empathy from their leaders,” she said, adding that this is why, given the characteristics of women, they have been brought to the Fore.

Thorning-Schmidt said women add diversity to governance.

“The strong male leaders like [Jair] Bolsonaro, [Donald] Trump and, to a certain extent, [Boris] Johnson, we have seen where they have failed. I think they have failed because they didn’t have a good cocktail of decision making. I think women, when they got into a Cabinet, particularly as leaders, they bring diversity. When you bring diversity you also bring a sense of listening and you don’t think that you have all the answers,” she said. (IMC)