The von der Leyen Commission was set to start work on 1 November 2019. However, due to ongoing EU inter-institutional meltdown, the start of the new Commission has been postponed to at least 1 December. Meanwhile, political wranglings at the national level (including the collapse of the government in Romania, as well as Brexit in the UK) have also slowed things down.
Nevertheless, barring major upset, a woman will finally hold the EU’s top job for the first time in the Commission’s 61-year history. Not only that, but Ursula von der Leyen has pushed for a gender-balanced Commission, with 14 of the 27 originally-proposed Commissioners being female (though the rejection of two female nominees has disrupted things slightly, given that the suggested replacements are both male).
Why has it taken us six decades to get a gender-balanced Commission? There are plenty of studies out there indicating that women are better suited to management positions than men, and that they score higher than men in terms of leadership skills. Indeed, as former US President Barack Obama puts it: the world needs more female leaders because “men seem to be having some problems these days”.
What do our readers think? We had a comment sent in from Julie, who argues that gender doesn’t make a difference when it comes to political leadership. She believes it’s all down to the individual, and gender shouldn’t come into it.
To get a response, we put Julie’s comment to Francesca Cavallo, co-creator of the award-winning children’s book “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” and one of Friends of Europe’s European Young Leaders. What does she think?
To get another perspective, we put the same comment to Mate Rimac, founder & CEO of Rimac Automobili, a Croatian car manufacturer which produces electric sports cars. How would he respond to Julie?
Are women better leaders? Or does gender make no difference when it comes to leadership? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to leaders and experts for their reactions!
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Yes
Man ,women,,doesn’t matter everything depends which interests and agenda they are fowling
Reverse sexism is still sexism.
Please don’t add sexism because that is what men use to hold people down from being a leader of the country thanks
it’s not about gender it’s about knowledge and skills
Yes bro u right its all about knowledge and skills
Some are. Some man also.
Of course one should never generalise, but I do think that there is something to be said for women making better leaders. Women are often raised to be more empathetic and to be “team players”, which are great leadership attributes. This is not at all to say that men can’t be equally empathetic and they can certainly also be team players, but they are often taught to disregard emotions and to fight on their own…
That’s the reason why they are not good leaders. Being empathic doesn’t make you a good leader. It makes you a bad leader. You should make rational decisions, not emotional decisions.
I think so. Women are more in the mood of serving their people than men who are looking for power
Yes, women makes better leaders than male because males lead with their minds and not heart but females lead with hearts minds strength confidence and they are commited
No better, no worse.
How absolutely ridiculous. Both men and women are humans, both sharing a very similar brain. To say that one is more intelligent than the other does not make sense. That their thought process might diverge little because of biological make up, is possible; but to say that their intelligence differs is a fallacy.
so you mean men are better leaders, if you do, just say it
Yes. But more than that it’s about the individuals abilities.
Actually worse. Female rulers are 27% more likely to wage WAR than males. Over the past 500 years, queens have been more likely to wage war than kings. And married queens were found to be especially war-like. Exceptions prove the rule. I’m sorry, leading skill is gender influenced, but the weaker sex is not automatically the better.
You are right. Men can be very dim.
Merkel yes, her aide, Ursula von der Leyen will be good President
So sexist!
Why? You forgot being inclusive? Are you willingly exposing yoursel to discrimination accusations? Ho Ho Ho! Why does a gender have to make anything better? It’s about what individuals do… But not in the case of political leadership…
European Union is in chaos.Do you need an photo?
Actually this is complicated, the question is too sweeping. My theory is this: women who make it to the top in a man’s world are probably likely to be worse, because they had to double-prove their worth against masculine values (and against make chauvinism). But if there is real equality, and enough women in power for more feminine values to have any values, then those emerging to power, whether make or female, are definitely more likely to perform better. For recent examples I’d say look at Canada (male feminist leader) and New Zealand (a real woman who cares).
Canada wasn’t built in a day – wise women say ;)
Does leadership depend on biology or in personal abilities?… (Is that a serious question to answer in 2019? Then we are in biiiiiiig trouble!)
No I dont think so men are better leaders!
Maybe transgender will be the best…
Hi Olivier. Why?
Debating Europe, am joking
à mix of both genders could be interesting but I think that political leaders should have a family and kids
..
Your point reeks of old-school sexism! Basically all the points mentioned by you have been disproved by studies such as the ones linked in this article…
Are women better leaders?
I think the DE is being disingenuous with this question. As I have written before, why put up a thread for comments and then refuse to air the comments going against the answer they are looking for? That creates fake news. Such as incomplete polls. The idea in such a thread is not to reflect it is to propagandise.
I wrote yesterday that female leaders are not better leaders. That, in my opinion, it is proven they are not an asset. I see them as not emotionally suitable and it strongly comes across when in office or running for office, that they are weak, muddled and lack logic. And to offer a nation a person, male or female, who lacks ability for such a job, is calculated destruction.
Then I gave good examples for my rant.
Are women better leaders?
In this link below you will see the women who has been selected for leadership of one of the UK’s three leading political party candidates in our coming GE. She has sent out expensive leaflets to every household in the UK, advising the readers she will be the next PM of our country.
Listen to her delivery, sound of voice and look at the red skin patches on her chest as she shakes in fear. More importantly what she is offering. Does that really give you a sense of confidence in her ability to lead this nation for world stage performance? Is this the best Britain can do for such a top drawer position?
Incidentally, her husband is the one who has his company receiving vast amounts of EU money. I wonder what for?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbAdegamNIk
Here is the previous leader for this same party who was taken in as a coalition leader with the Tories previously to rule the UK. Do you spot a difference or would you say they are equals?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7lf4BMuZeo
Are humans autonomous beings that have personalities influenced more by their material conditions than by their sexual organs???
no,.. but they are also not worse and i think we need both entities to make up a whole “good leader”
I think so.
yes, Marine le Pen
Haha kijk naar Merkel
Dacht ik niet! lol
Leadership qualities don’t depend on gender though both genders have unique qualities they can bring to a leadership position
let’s try…
nei!
eror sej på vad dom har innanför pannbenet,och hon och Löfven är det enkom sågspån,min ärliga åsikt…
No!
When we try to proceed and exercise equality between men and woman in any field, I think it would be wise not to complicate. I believe a person is good at something or not! It doesn’t matter the gender. This question could be adding weight to a nonending discrimination between genders.
No, they are not better leaders. Many times worse
Tricky question. Are you trolling us, debating Europe? :D
Bs! Look around!
Of course!
judging from the examples we have to look at, no, certainly not
men are much smarter and arguing with this is stupid
I don´t get that picture I´m afraid by the look of everything so,,,
No not necesairry. I think the same as men.
NOO only Emphatic People!!
If she has a strong personalities…..
no
yes
What a strange question, you need leaders?
Why then you talk about men/women?
Start to talk about leaders!
Ok, I understood – you do not need the leaders, you need the talks about men/women.
I think it’s doesn’t matter it’s depends on their agenda
God created us human being equal so what men can do women can do
… qualifications and competence are the sole required mheritocracy.
… it depends on which woman are we comparing to which man.
… qualifications and competence are the sole required mheritocracy.
… it depends on which woman are we comparing to which man.
No. The best Corona response is from Sweden. It was not a political attitude, instead a technical one.
No, thd best person is. We in the UK have had one of the best in Mrs Thatcher and one of the worst in treason may. We have had awful male leaders like Blair and brown and then we have boris who I think will go down as one of the best, we also had Churchill. Nothing to do with their sex
Some good and some bad.
No, men are.
*The comment is ment to infuriate 3rd wave feminists, if you aren’t one you already know that the best leader is the best qualified person, regardless of sex, gender, religion etc.*
Isn’t that racist and discriminatory?
You would never ask “Are men better leaders?”, would you?
Best COVID response so far was China’s, and NO, their leader is not a woman, so your premise is based on fiction.
China is lying through their teeth.
It is socially acceptable to bash men and make sexist remarks that make women look better than men at almost all tasks.
Of course they are!
No nor are men. Gender is not the base of good or bad leaders. For example, Portugal is one of the best response countries to the coronavirus and for some reason that was ignore (maybe because it fits this gender narrative bs) – our leader is a man.
I spent the past few weeks in Portugal. People are very orderly out there – they follow the rules. Unlike here in Germany where quite a few persons simply don’t keep distance, go shopping without masks (even though it is the law now), etc. It’s not only the leaders, but also folks that make a good response to the crisis.
Character is what counts, not gender.
New Zealand women specifically are the best leaders. Henceforth all European constitutions must be amended to stipulate that only New Zealand women are eligible to run for office in Europe.
I think the women who made it are better leaders. It’s the same way as the few females in engineering class tend to be the best students. The reason is simple. Males just go into politics or engineering and stuff, just cause that’s what guys do. The females who get involved in these areas actively decide and want to be there.
They might have more the sense of general interest… Could admit mistakes and might not be obsessed by power…
true. Difficult to give general assessment
No. There are good male leaders and good female leaders. The personality is everything, not the gender.
So in just one phrase you erased at least the last 7000 years of the History!
I’m sorry Hugo but your opinion shows that you missed a few essential books…
I don’t understand your comment. In the history there were many Male and Female leaders. Example, Joan D’Arc, Cleopatra were female leaders. Males you have many more, because of the “male superiority” all these years and the women were just to have kids. But this mentality is over now. Today you have Leaders for the good and for the bad, either male, either female. you have Queen Elisabeth as one of the most important female leaders, or even Angela Merkl. For good and for bad, you have Trump as a leader, but there are many more. And even the history brought us other leaders like Winston Churchill or even Adolf Hitler. Both were leaders and had a lot of followers.
making questions like these, isnt against the equality that the EU defends?
… it depends on which woman we are comparing to which man. Competence and qualifications are the sole meritocracy required to become a leader.
Write your message…yes i agree that women is far more better than men leaders why because a women is a stronger unfairness good in handworking of what they are do it.