Women in power: Female leadership and public health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Some countries have been more successful than others at dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. When we explore the different policy approaches adopted as well as the underlying socio-economic factors, we note an interesting set of correlations: countries led by women leaders have fared significantly better than those led by men on a wide range of dimensions concerning the global health crisis. In this paper, we analyze available data for 35 countries, focusing on the following variables: number of deaths per capita due to COVID-19, number of days with reported deaths, peaks in daily deaths, deaths occurred on the first day of lockdown, and excess mortality. Results show that countries governed by female leaders experienced much fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita and were more effective and rapid at flattening the epidemic's curve, with lower peaks in daily deaths. We argue that there are both contingent and structural reasons that may explain these stark differences. First of all, most women-led governments were more prompt at introducing restrictive measures in the initial phase of the epidemic, prioritizing public health over economic concerns, and more successful at eliciting collaboration from the population. Secondly, most countries led by women are also those with a stronger focus on social equality, human needs and generosity. These societies are more receptive to political agendas that place social and environmental wellbeing at the core of national policymaking.

Gender Equality and Public Policy during COVID-19

“…From an economic point of view, understanding the causal impact of women’s leadership on outcomes is a difficult task, yet necessary to draw policy conclusions ( Profeta 2020) . To this respect, the study by Coscieme et al. (2020) is not conclusive.…”

“…A recent study by Coscieme et al. (2020) analyzes 35 countries and shows that countries led by female leaders experienced fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita and were more effective and rapid at flattening the epidemic’s curve, with lower peaks in daily deaths.…”

Lessons learnt from easing COVID-19 restrictions: an analysis of countries and regions in Asia Pacific and Europe

“…More generally, countries with female leaders have done better at securing public confidence and adherence to new measures than have countries with male leaders. 17 In England, controversy surrounding a trip made during lockdown by a close adviser to the prime minister has substantially undermined public confidence in the government and support for the measures that it was taking. 18 In Hong Kong, continuing political unrest has substantially eroded public trust in the government, although the community has generally shown a high level of adherence that could be attributable to lessons learnt from the previous outbreak of SARS in 2003.…”

Symptoms of a broken system: the gender gaps in COVID-19 decision-making

“…A recent study indicated that countries with women in positions of leadership suffered six times fewer deaths from COVID-19 as countries with governments led by men. 14 Recognising the effectiveness of countries led by women may help in understanding the underlying prerequisites of effective leadership. Societies who elect female leaders may share a different set of values and perspectives, including gender equality, than more traditional societies.…”