#ElectBroadly for More Representative Governments

by Zhong Chen Tan

About half of the world’s men and women still feel that men make better political leaders.The United Nations’ 2020 Gender Social Norms Index indicates that only about half of the world’s men and women feel that both men and women make good political leaders. 

That’s in part due to Availability Bias - since men have historically been overrepresented in political leadership, most political leaders that people can think of are men, and people begin to associate leadership with masculinity. In other words, we often assume that the way things are is the way things should be. 

Why is gender equality in leadership so important? For one, it goes a long way in challenging the above-mentioned harmful stereotypes, showing that leadership is a skill that anyone can learn. Gender equality in leadership also brings more diverse perspectives to our governments - sometimes with life-saving consequences. For instance, research has shown that the current COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affects women and girls, and that having more women in leadership positions helps to mitigate this.

Yet, why is the global average for women’s representation in parliament just 24.9%, still? The short answer is that many barriers to elevating and electing women to leadership roles in government exist. One major root cause is the belief that politics is the domain of men, a belief that some women hold, too. This leads to two key barriers: voter bias against women, and many capable women opting not to run for political office in the first place. Thankfully, that belief is much more easily countered today, given the many amazing women leaders around the world serving as role models - including Jacinda Arden, Kamala Harris, and Tsai Ing-wen. Another key barrier is how the world’s burden of unpaid work is disproportionately shouldered by women (women of color in particular), unfairly limiting many women’s ability to take on leadership roles. 

So, in order to advance equity of recognition, what are some actions we can take to raise the profile of historical figures and leaders who are female and/or Black, Indigenous, or persons of color? The work has to start with educating ourselves, particularly in terms of the many blindspots in how we tell our histories. The history of the world is much more diverse than popular culture often makes it seem. Sharing these diverse perspectives with those around us is the logical next step - get the word out, and embed the contributions of a wide range of people in public consciousness!

Finally, political representation doesn’t just naturally become more diverse. What are some actions we can take as individuals to support female and minority candidates running for office and/or are currently in elected office? 

• Write letters to voters; research shows that this can increase voter turnout, ensuring we let everyone’s voice feel heard and #ElectBroadly. You can join the genEquality team effort in doing this from the safety of your home, now! Sign up here.

• Be vocal about your support. Speak up with your positive feedback and thoughts about the candidate(s) you’re supporting, and speak out when you hear others voicing beliefs that women and minorities do not belong in political leadership. 

The complex problems of our time can only be adequately faced with a diverse range of voices in our governments. That can only happen when we #ElectBroadly. Let’s all help make that happen.