Nicola Sturgeon claims world would be a ‘better place’ if ruled by women

“I think of people like Boris Johnson, and I think, ‘My God, a little bit of imposter syndrome would do you the world of good”

Nicola Sturgeon criticised Boris Johnson (Getty Images)

Nicola Sturgeon has claimed the world would be a “better place” if it were ruled by women.

The Scottish first minister also said females are still forced to work “twice as hard” as men to be taken “even half as seriously”.

But the 51-year-old SNP leader believes it a good thing women have to be so industrious - as they end up being better and working a lot harder than their male counterparts.

Ms Sturgeon, who is the first ever female first minister and has held the top position in Scotland for seven years, also joked the world would be a “much, much better place” if it were run by “menopausal women” who had to work even harder to overcome their hormonal shifts whilst working as well.

Speaking on podcast The Shift, Ms Sturgeon said: “I went through periods in life - and still go through periods in life now - where that sense of [ambition] is challenged and I doubt it more.

“I have spoken to a lot of women who feel this, friends and other women who would articulate exactly the same thing here...

“You really have to work so much harder to prove yourself so much more, to be taken probably half as seriously - particularly in the profession I’m in - as your average man.

“It can be tiresome are wearisome that we still have to do that but I’ve come to the conclusion in my life that it’s actually quite a good thing.

“Because you end up being better [than the men], because you work a lot harder and you have to really go so much further to prove yourself and be taken seriously.

“I have to be careful that doesn’t sound like an argument for women always having to struggle more to be taken seriously, because it shouldn’t be like that...

“But when you see women, and I’m not talking about myself here I’m talking about other women in senior positions: by and large, they’re better than their equivalent man and, more often than not, they’ve had to push themselves a lot harder to get to where they are.

“I often think the world would be a much better place if it were ruled by women.

“I guess most women in positions like mine - and there’s not been that many - who have gone through the menopause, the response is they need to work much harder to overcome it to make sure you’re trying not to let it interfere in any way.

“[So] maybe the world would be a much, much better place if it was ruled by menopausal women.”

Ms Sturgeon added she still struggles with “imposter syndrome” relating to her gender and working-class background - but added a little bit of self doubt is healthy and would do prime minister Boris Johnson, 57, “the world of good”.

“I’m an innately shy person, so I suppose I’ve had to overcome that along the way,” she said.

“I have always had this inner-confidence, but coupled with an inner-doubt.“There’s always a constant battle between the two, and that is probably true even now.

“I think for many women, no matter how successful or senior they’ve come to be, have that sense of not entirely ever feeling that you’ve earned it or that it’s justified.

“I suppose it’s what is often called the imposter syndrome... I suffer from that, absolutely.

“Partly I think it’s gender, although I know some men suffer from that as well, and partly it’s the working-class background.

“All through my career there’s a sense of almost always waiting to be found out, and that you’re not really good enough to be doing this, that there are better people that could be doing it...

“But, as long as it actually doesn’t completely cripple you and stop you doing the things you want to do, a little bit of that is healthy and, actually, is quite good for you.

“I think of people like Boris Johnson, and I think, ‘My God, a little bit of imposter syndrome would do you the world of good’.

“Because actually it would make you take a step back and think, ‘Maybe I’ve just got to work a bit harder? Maybe I’ve got to prove myself a bit more,’ instead of this gliding through life as if the world owes you a living’.”

Ms Sturgeon, from Ayrshire in south-western Scotland, first became a member of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, and has held the dual positions of leader of the SNP and first minister of Scotland since 2014 - as the first woman to hold either position.

Solent News