Ms. President

While countries such as the UK and the US have struggled to test enough of their citizens during the coronavirus pandemic, other nations are leading by example.

Germany, despite being the largest country in Europe, has successfully carried out half a million tests a week. Almost half of the Germans to contract Covid-19 have already recovered from the disease.

In Iceland, coronavirus tests have been carried out on more than 10% of the entire population. The death rate there is below 0.5% - more than 20 times lower than that being recorded in the UK and Italy.

Other ScandinavianRegion of northern Europe, the word refers to the people and culture of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Other countries like Finland and Iceland are sometimes referred to by the same term. nations, like Denmark, Norway, and Finland, have also seen fewer cases and higher testing rates than many other countries.

In the small, east-Asian nation of TaiwanAn island country in east Asia. China still claims to be the legitimate owner of Taiwan, while the Taiwanese government until recently claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of China., over a hundred political measures were enacted as soon as news of the coronavirus broke. The country is now in a position to donate 10 million face masks to Europe and the US.

What do all of the above countries have in common?

Strikingly, they have all elected female leaders.

This has led many to suggest that in a time of a real crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic, women make better presidents, chancellors, and prime ministers.

It is first and foremost a simple question of competence. As Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi points out, in societies traditionally dominated by men, "women generally have to be better in order to become leaders [...and] you have to be twice as good as a man in order to be taken half as seriously".

One example of this is the fact that, while Donald Trump used to host TV shows, Angela MerkelThe chancellor (democratically elected leader) of Germany since 2005. She is often seen as the most powerful woman in the world and affectionately called "mummy" (mutti) by many Germans. has a doctorateA research degree, like a PhD (doctor of philosophy), that qualifies the holder to teach at university level in the degree's field, or to work in a specific profession. in quantum chemistryA field of chemistry that tries to explain the strange and unusual behaviour of the smallest particle we know of: the electron..

What is more, experts and commentators alike have argued that instead of the machoMasculine in an overly assertive or aggressive way. Usually used today in a mocking or condescending way to describe people who think that being tough is all that matters. posturing being performed by leaders like Trump or Putin, people need representatives who can listen to evidence, offer a calming influence, and empathise with their voters.

Psychologists have long credited women with better empathy and a tendency to prioritise expertise over ego.

For instance, the Norwegian and Danish premiers hosted reassuring press conferences especially for children, answering questions such as: "Can I have a birthday party?" and "Are you scared of becoming ill with coronavirus?"

So, in a crisis, is a woman leader more effective?

Yes. Women who get to the top in highly competitive fields, such as politics, are likely to be hugely gifted. Intellectually, they will have to be more powerful than their peers. In addition, they will be better team players. During a health crisis, where governments rely on persuading people to stay at home and not to lose hope, it helps to have the gift of empathy and, therefore, the ability to communicate well.

No. The qualities that have made the leaders of countries like New Zealand and Denmark so popular during this crisis could still be embodied by men. Humility and helpfulness do not belong exclusively to women. The fact that the countries listed above are all relatively wealthy democracies could have a lot more of a bearing on their successful response than the gender of their leaders.