A leadership style of their own

Perhaps, almost all women, at some time or the other in their lives, have thought a variation of this quote: a woman has to be twice as good as a man to get even half as far as him but fortunately, that is not difficult!

Even in the present times, it is quite common to see them subjected to scrutiny and criticism based only on their gender. Imagine then how women in politics are viewed considering the unpredictability of its rough-and-tumble.

We also see that a few developing countries have had women leaders at the helm of the nation or a state in it. These women, whether it was Indira Gandhi in India or Golda Meir in Israel, were often spoken of as the “only men” in their particular situations. So, even when the woman is perceived as a great leader it has to be so because she is not really “like a typical woman.” 

Apart from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh in Asia have had or do have women at the nation’s helm. Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar is also a remarkable example. These women may have come from politically established and powerful families but nevertheless they display qualities that mark them as leaders. 

It was Jessica Arden’s recent resignation as Prime Minister of New Zealand that sparked a discussion on the different styles of leadership of women and men. She said she had had a burn out and her “tank was no longer full.” Arden has a huge fan following around the world and it does not cover only women. She was also much admired for the way in which she handled the different crises that her country faced during her tenure as PM. She has famously said, “One of the criticisms I’ve faced over the years is that I’m not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I’m empathetic, it means I’m weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.”

In an article on the International Leadership Association website in 2020, “Building Forward Better”—Why Women’s Leadership Matters, the authors point out that while women comprise only around 8% of political leaders globally, they have accounted for an estimated 40% of the most successful responses to COVID-19.  They go on to quote the New York Times columnist Nick Kristoff’s comparative analysis  that showed that women-led countries have a six-times lower death rate than those led by male counterparts in similar countries.

The article  says that women consult and collaborate with scientists and experts; put people’s lives first – which also turns out to be best for the economy in the long run; are transparent, flexible and willing to admit to mistakes and communicate better and encourage  values of cooperation and empathy.

Under the lens

The world of women politicians has always been a fascinating one for students of politics, sociology and gender studies and the media in general. It has also been one that is scrutinised by the media closely and sometimes, unfairly. Their appearance and looks in general, come under examination more than their speeches or opinions on important public issues. Most women politicians become aware of this early enough in their careers. Fortunately for them, many of them simply take it in their stride and factor it as an occupational hazard. 

I remember an anecdote I read about the late PM of Britain, Margaret Thatcher. It may or may not be an apocryphal one. At an international seminar on terrorism, she was the lone woman among several men. Even though she was scheduled to speak before lunch, the male speakers before her droned on and on and she was listed to speak after the lunch break. When the chair apologised to her, she is reported to have said: “It doesn’t matter, gentlemen. Remember, the cock crows loud but it is the hen that lays the eggs.” India’s Indira Gandhi was also known far and wide for her decisive actions and firmness of purpose.

Female presence

The range of Indian women social reformers, freedom fighters and social activists is too large and varied for me to name them or look at their trajectories—even if one confines oneself to start from the late 19th century. The interested reader who wants to learn about these women—even the ones who are not well known generally—can now avail of many research based books and online articles that delve into their lives and contributions. Starting with social reformers and then with leaders of the independence movement, women were encouraged to come out of their homes and participate publicly in movements and march on the streets in the protests.

However, we are primarily focused here on women politicians and political leaders mainly of the latter part of the 20th century onwards. This field too is very vast and multifaceted to be covered in this one article.

The first woman chief minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh was Sucheta Kripalani who was considered a strong leader and is also known for her contribution to the freedom movement and in international arbitration. Another woman politician was at the helm of that state in more recent times. Mayawati was CM for four different terms and the first woman Dalit chief minister. 

In Tamil Nadu, we had Jayalalitha Jayaram as CM. She was a film star with a huge fan following who became an astute politician. Shiela Dixit was the second woman CM of Delhi but the longest-serving one with a tenure of over 15 years. The first woman CM of Delhi was Sushma Swaraj who went on to become India’s union minister of external affairs.

West Bengal has its first woman CM in Mamta Banerjee who has also been India’s first woman railway minister. Vasundhara Raje was the first woman CM of Rajasthan and is the daughter of another well known woman politician Vijaya Raje Scindia. Sonia Gandhi has featured time and again in an international list of ‘most powerful women’ and has been the longest serving president of the Congress Party.

India got its first woman President Pratibha Patil (she was also Governor of Rajasthan) in 2007 and now we have President Droupadi Murmu who is also the first president to hail from the tribal community. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Smriti Irani are the prominently known female faces in the cabinet, women parliamentarians include Supriya Sule, Kanimozhi, Mahua Moitra, 28-year old Chandrani Murmu and several others. 

Need for much more

In India we have women who have entered the field of politics without having fathers, brothers or male relatives to cushion their entry into a field that is by no means an easy one to survive in. Of course, there are news reports of how in some local governing bodies, women are elected into the reserved posts but their husbands or fathers not only call the shots but even sit in the woman’s chair during functions and meetings! It must also be noted here that in 2010, 30 year old Chhavi Rajawat became the youngest sarpanch in India. The highly educated Rajawat gave up a corporate job to take over this post of the Soda gram panchayat in Rajasthan. Her contribution and career is remarkable.

But female participation in legislative and political decision making posts needs to be much more in India.

According to the 2011 Census, India has a female population of 59 crores. Compared to this number the number of women political leaders or even state legislators and parliamentarians is not very encouraging.

Even though we noted that in posts reserved for women in local governing bodies, in several cases it is their male relatives who run the show, research and surveys show that the reservation has conferred benefits in many and powerful ways. Women-related policy concerns and issues find better representation and implementation and these women in turn become role models for the larger society.

 However, The Women’s Reservation Bill or The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, 2010, has had a long and convoluted trajectory and whilst most parties are agreed that it must become law, it has remained on the back burner.

While national Parliaments worldwide boast of women holding 26% per cent of the seats, India’s current Lok Sabha has 15% women MPs. In the state assemblies, the percentage of seats held by women remains below 15 per cent.

The equal representation of women in legislatures and Parliament will bring with it a unique style of leadership, viewpoints on policies and measures. And surely, that can be beneficial for the country.