Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Politics: The Case of Jacinda Ardern
Estimates based on current trends indicate that we will not achieve gender equality in politics for another 130 years. A significant disparity in female representation is evident in diplomacy and international politics. Of 195 countries in the world, only 28 states have some form of a female head of state or head of government. Further, only three of these countries have equal gender representation in parliament. Women are frequently the minority on political panels, and this lack of diversity hinders decision quality.
With women accounting for only 7% of all government leaders, New Zealand's third female Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is one of the twelve women in the world leading a government. As seen with Ardern’s political career, public perceptions of female politicians remain moulded by deeply ingrained assumptions about women that their political opponents strategically use to cast doubt on their abilities. Most of the time, people cast doubt on how one comes to where they are. The media asserts that women are unfit for a certain political position because (1) they lack expertise and (2) they will only focus on women's issues, such as childcare and abortion. Media discussions often concentrate on nonpolitical aspects of female politicians, such as one’s beauty, lifestyle, and/or family, rather than a political agenda. Despite this, Ardern is one of the world's most influential women and has transformed the assumptions about what women can achieve in leadership. Whether through her response to mass shootings in Christchurch or her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ardern proves wrong those who believe women can not break the glass ceiling in politics.
Ardern has an unparalleled ability to enact legislation addressing inequality. She advocates for the decriminalization of abortion, access to free university education, and new initiatives to end child poverty. Ardern’s progressive policy implementation has lended her the label of “rock star.” She wants to include more women in her party's parliament members to create a more diversified pool of legislators fighting for issues impacting women, such as unequal access to educational opportunities, reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and the gender pay gap. Despite limited gender parity in policymaking, some countries have exhibited substantial progress worldwide. Right now, more women are serving as legislators than ever before. This way, more women can access positions of power and successfully advocate for other women.
The key to forming cross-party networks that will fight for the common benefit of all women is to bring together women from all political, religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Better representation is fundamental to the maintenance of democracies. The decision-making process may become ineffective and damaging if women are omitted in the search for solutions to current problems. For instance, the Istanbul Convention, the world's most important international human rights convention addressing gender-based violence, was opened to signature in Istanbul in 2011 after two years of preparation. The Turkish Foreign Minister was the first signatory. Unfortunately, Turkey is the first and only country to withdraw from the convention after President Erdogan issued a decree to annul its ratification in 2021.
In Poland, we can observe a similar situation to Turkey. The Constitutional Tribunal, consisting primarily of judges selected by Poland’s ruling party, outlawed the majority of official abortions in 2020. Consequently, 200,000 Polish women now obtain illegal abortions or travel abroad for the procedure. The decision has exacerbated the severe obstacles women seeking the procedure face. These examples provide further evidence that the absence of women in political participation may result in decisions that put millions of women at greater risk.
Today, Ardern leads the most diverse government in the history of New Zealand. More female, LGBTQ+, and indigenous MPs serve in New Zealand’s Parliament than ever before. To be exact, eight of the twenty members of the Cabinet are women, five are Māori, three are Pasifika, and three are LGBTQ+. While 16.5% of New Zealand’s population is Māori and 9% is Pasifika, Ardern’s indigenous cabinet members represent a percentage well beyond those at 25% and 15%, respectively. Moreover, as only 3.5% of New Zealanders identify as LGBTQ+, Ardern's cabinet, once again, exceeds that figure at 15%. In recognition of her diverse cabinet, Ardern also stated that she made selections based on merit.
Ardern’s government made significant changes to the country's domestic violence laws, including the acknowledgement of coercive control as a form of abuse. These initiatives promote and uphold gender equality in New Zealand, where one in every four women experiences sexual abuse or other forms of violence at some point in their lives. The majority of these victims are under the age of 16. Another bill introduced in parliament was the Equal Pay Amendment which ensures that employees can file equity claims with their employers if they believe they are not fairly compensated. From January to the June of 2021, median hourly wages for women climbed by $0.80 (3.1%), while earnings for males increased by $0.74 (2.6%), putting the gender pay gap at 9.1%. Evidence suggests that equal participation in political affairs leads to significant benefits, with a higher functioning democracy and an increase in responsiveness to citizens’ needs. The unrealized potential of minority groups has proven a considerable setback for economic and social progress.
Amid these successes, Arden has routinely encountered bombardments of sexist comments, like remarks about her pregnancy and its implications on her political career. One of her most memorable responses to this concern was, “I’m just pregnant, not incapacitated. Like everyone else who has found themselves pregnant before, I’m just continuing.” Ardern pointed out that the reporters would never have asked male politicians such questions about their family, emphasizing the double standard faced by female politicians. Notably, during her pregnancy, Arden met foreign officials and pushed for gun-control legislation in New Zealand, thus debunking sexist stereotypes that women only focus on female-specific issues.
The media’s impairment of female leaders in power is not limited to New Zealand. In the United States, this is also a prevalent issue. For instance, after Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez suggested that poverty and unemployment rates are causing an increase in crime in New York City during the pandemic, Ted Yoho, who was the representative for Florida's 3rd congressional district, called her"disgusting, crazy, out of her mind, and dangerous." According to AOC, “It’s not an accident that every cycle, the boogeyman of the Democrats is a woman. A couple of cycles ago, it was Pelosi. Then it was Hillary, and now it’s me.” While speaking about her experience with sexism in politics, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “It’s a manifestation of attitude in our society, really. I can tell you firsthand; they’ve called me names for at least...18 years of leadership.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has recently reached greater heights in US political leadership than any other woman in American history. With her progressive proposals for equal pay, reproductive rights, and maternal health, as well as her insistence that all issues are women's issues during her presidential campaign, Harris brings a strong track record of commitment to women's equality. While women are making significant progress in American politics, structural challenges remain. As expected, sexist and biased media coverage affect female candidates worldwide.
Ardern possesses numerous characteristics of a true leader which have helped her succeed. “It is clear that she embraces leadership differently from most of her counterparts. She talks about the people she is lucky to work with and those she serves, thus embodying a more servant leadership style than the usual individualistic authoritarian leader,” comments Claire Collins, professor of leadership at Henley Business School.
All facets of society must work together to debunk deep-rooted fallacies about female leadership and break the glass ceiling that female politicians still face today. Ardern’s charisma, optimism, strength, and attitude are among the qualities that continue to inspire her voters, particularly women and younger generations. Influential figures such as Ardern are prime examples of why we should include women in our political spheres. The diverse perspectives that women bring forth shape the groundwork for a more equitable and inclusive politics.