It would be rash and simplistic to say that the countries that responded best to the wave of the pandemic that swept the entire world are led by women. But it is possible to state that practically every country with a woman at its helm responded in an excellent manner. Despite representing only 7 per cent of world leaders, during the pandemic women managed to distinguish themselves and generate positive coverage — contributing a glimmer of hope and humanity in the midst of a dark and unprecedented period.

The countries they lead are diverse, located at opposite ends of the globe, with distinct geographies, distant cultures, varying sizes and different flags. Yet all of them managed to act in time, avoiding disastrous consequences, and could serve as examples of the effectiveness of action in extraordinary situations.

La prima ministra neozelandese Jacinda Ardern in una conferenza stampa al Parlamento il 27 maggio ha comunicato che le restrizioni dell'allerta per il coronavirus verranno alleggerite dal 29 maggio Jacinda Ardern © Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a press conference in Parliament on 27 May that coronavirus alert restrictions would be eased from 29 May © Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Decisiveness, science and empathy

Several international newspapers — from the New York Times to Forbes — have analysed this common thread, identifying a combination of factors that other countries failed to demonstrate: decisiveness, trust in technology and science, and empathy.

These three elements could be considered the foundation of every decision in any area of society and our lives, but they become all the more essential and significant when the present and future of an entire population are at stake. In this sense, the fundamental steps are to immediately recognise the danger as such, to rely on the judgement and opinion of experts by embracing the necessary measures, and to succeed in building a relationship of trust with the public.

Taiwan, New Zealand and Germany

Taiwan, under its president Tsai Ing-wen, was one of the first countries to act when the virus was still far from being declared a pandemic. From the very beginning, as soon as Ing-wen heard of the cases in Wuhan in December, more than 100 measures were introduced to contain a possible spread in the country, including the reduction of flights from neighbouring China, the inspection of those arriving from Wuhan, and an increase in the production of medical supplies. In doing so, the country recorded around 400 cases and only 7 deaths, without having to impose a lockdown as elsewhere, and subsequently offered its support by sending millions of face masks to the worst-affected areas in Europe and the United States.

Tsai Ing-Wen, presidente di Taiwan — Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected to lead Taiwan on 11 January 2020 © Carl Court/Getty Images

Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, was praised not only for containing the spread of the virus, but for having practically defeated it. Acting early and decisively as soon as the first cases began to be recorded in the country, she closed the borders and ordered a four-week national lockdown, declaring a state of alert. The country recorded around 1,500 cases and 21 deaths. What made her stand out was also the empathetic and pragmatic approach that demonstrated she was truly by the side of New Zealanders.

Read also: The empathetic pragmatism of Jacinda Ardern. How New Zealand is beating coronavirus

From the Facebook live streams she held at home, in informal attire, to explain clearly and directly to citizens the updates on the alert measures communicated in previous press conferences, to her decisions together with other ministers to cut their salaries by 20 per cent as a symbol of solidarity with those facing financial hardship due to the emergency, and to propose a four-day working week as a way to restart the economy, boost tourism and improve people's work-life balance. Right through to her thanks to her "team of 5 million people" — New Zealanders — for having accepted and respected the rules and thereby made it possible to achieve the results needed to begin easing the containment measures.

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, stated from the outset that coronavirus represented the greatest threat since the Second World War, that it was a serious matter and should be treated as such. Testing began immediately, as did the strengthening of the healthcare system, which in Europe has the highest number of intensive care units and monitoring activities. Germany indeed recorded far fewer cases and deaths than its neighbours Italy, Spain and France.

From the Nordic countries to the Caribbean

Of the five Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden — four are led by women. And these nations too, compared with the rest of Europe, managed to bring down and contain infection numbers. Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland and the youngest in the world, immediately designated the capital Helsinki a red zone to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. At the time, deaths stood at just over 300 — not even a tenth of those in neighbouring Sweden (governed by Stefan Löfven). Marin also adopted a communications strategy to reach everyone, and, aware that not all of the population reads newspapers, enlisted the "help" of social media influencers to reach younger people as well.

We are aware that government communications do not reach everyone. In the past this was made possible through television, but today young people in particular access news through social media.

Sanna Marin, prima ministra della Finlandia — Born in 1985, Sanna Marin is the world's youngest prime minister. She leads the Finnish government, headed by an all-female coalition © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

In Iceland, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir decided to offer free tests to the entire population, carrying out random testing that made it possible to track the progression of the virus and discover, earlier than other countries, that the majority of positive results were asymptomatic. To date, the country has fewer than two thousand infections and ten deaths.

In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg launched the innovative idea of using television to speak directly to children. Solberg held a press conference from which adults were excluded, answering questions and addressing the concerns of children from across the country and explaining to them that it is normal to feel frightened.

These have been special days. Many children think all of this is frightening. It is all right to feel scared when so many things happen all at once. Even if your school has been affected, everything will be fine. Mum and dad will be fine too if they get ill. By staying at home you are helping other people. That is important for those who are ill and those who are elderly.Erna Solberg, Norwegian Prime Minister

Erna Solberg, prima ministra della Norvegia — Erna Solberg has been Prime Minister of Norway since 2013 © Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Mette Frederiksen, prime minister of Denmark, acted early by closing the country's borders at the beginning of March, banning public gatherings of more than ten people and shutting schools from the outset. To this she added clear communication of the guidelines to follow, through both official press conferences and videos from home.

On the other side of the world, in the tiny island nation of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, prime minister Silveria Jacobs spoke plainly to the just over 40,000 inhabitants of the island — which hosts 500,000 tourists a year — describing the virus as a serious risk. Not wanting to resort to lockdown, she nonetheless wanted distancing measures to be observed, and made it clear: "Simply put, do not move. If you don't have the bread you like at home, eat crackers. Eat cereal, eat oatmeal. Eat… sardines."

Amaka Ubaka @AmakaUbakaTV

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This is Silveria Jacobs, the PM of Sint Maarten & her speech says it all. She’s not playin games!!!

29 2 10 apr 2020 · Apri su X →

A new model of leadership

Though adapted to the situation and the needs of their own country, each female leader's approach to the pandemic showed and conveyed calm, confidence and sensitivity, standing in contrast to the exclusionary approaches of various heads of state who downplayed or denied the problem, or used it as a pretext to abuse their power. Gentle, loving words set against screams of hatred, presenting a model of leadership different from the one we are accustomed to — predominantly masculine and male-chauvinist in character. A habit that carries with it what we have come to expect of a leader, one that leaves no room for emotion.

I see no contradiction in being empathetic and being a good leader. It is not weakness, it is strength.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia

"I see no contradiction in being empathetic and human and being a good leader. It is not weakness, it is strength," commented Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, speaking about her experience leading her country during the spread of the Ebola virus in 2014. She recalls having had to take a very difficult decision regarding the population: cremating the bodies of the deceased in order to limit the spread of the virus — a practice, however, not permitted in the Buddhist tradition of the majority of people in the country. "These decisions must come from compassion and understanding in order to gain public support."

Katrin Jakobsdottir è prima ministra dell'Islanda — Katrín Jakobsdóttir has been prime minister of Iceland since 30 November 2017 © Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

As the New York Times points out, male leaders have certainly shown they can exceed expectations, but "for women it may be less politically costly because they don't have to violate any perceived gender norms to adopt gentle or conservative policies."

Yet, according to the United Nations, as of 1 January of this year, only 10 of the 152 sitting heads of state were women, and men accounted for 75 per cent of parliamentarians, 73 per cent of managers and 76 per cent of people in the media. "We have created a world where women are squeezed into a small 25 per cent of space, both in the places where decisions are made and in the stories we tell. A quarter is not enough," said UN Women executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

We have created a world where women are squeezed into a small 25 per centPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women

The pandemic has therefore been a testing ground for every leader in the world, and a demonstration that there is much to be learned from some of them — revealing the elements needed to act successfully in other emergencies too, such as the climate and environmental crisis. It is also an opportunity, not to be missed, to understand that the time has finally come to erase those lines now rendered anachronistic — much as the virus has taught us, paying no heed to age, sex or nationality — transcending distinctions of every kind. And that we should elect more women so that they may take the place they deserve.

The leaders who shone in the darkness of the pandemic