Are women the better crisis managers?

In mid-April the US magazine Forbes put forward the attention-grabbing thesis that countries led by women have better strategies for dealing with the coronavirus crisis and fewer deaths. This was particularly clear when such countries are compared with the United States and Britain for example, the article said. The thesis is still the subject of fierce debate on social networks and in the media, although some find it unconvincing.

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Polityka (PL) /

Don't make good leadership all about gender

Polityka finds the debate about gender and the corona crisis annoying:

“It's pretty pointless to ask whether winners in the fight against the coronavirus have male or female faces, because they have no face. Victory is about trust in science, trust in the government, a transparent decision-making process and hundreds of other factors, including political leadership. It makes no sense to attribute the effective action of Merkel, Marin or Ardern to their gender alone. This reduces their achievements and qualifications and marginalises all others who have contributed to this success.”

Mandiner (HU) /

Chromosomes are not the decisive factor

Journalist László Bernát Veszprémy comments in the pro-government daily Mandiner:

“An article in Forbes Magazine claims that those countries that have successfully managed the coronavirus crisis are being led by women. ... The article is no more consistent than this assertion. But for left-wing feminism that's not a problem either. According to this way of thinking, which is by nature Marxist and dichotomous and divides the world into oppressors and the oppressed, it's perfectly logical that the oppressed - women, people of colour or members of religious minorities - are better at exercising power. ... As someone who hasn't forgotten the classic interpretation of the word 'liberal', I know for certain: pandemic management has nothing to do with which chromosomes the leading politicians have.”