Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Women tend to do a better job’: Christine Lagarde praises female leaders for role in pandemic

‘This is my woman’s bias and I indulge in ceding to this bias,’ she says

Zoe Tidman
Thursday 23 July 2020 18:14 BST
Comments
Christine Lagarde has said woman leaders have played "an incredible role" during pandemic
Christine Lagarde has said woman leaders have played "an incredible role" during pandemic (Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Female leaders have done a better job than their male counterparts during the coronavirus pandemic, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) has suggested.

Christine Lagarde said it was “quite stunning” to see the policies and communication style used in countries led by women as the world faced the global Covid-19 outbreak.

The ECB boss was asked by The Washington Post what she thought Europe has learned about political leadership during coronavirus, and what has helped the continent as it emerged from lockdowns.

“I would say that for myself I’ve learned that women tend to do a better job,” she replied.

Germany, led by Angela Merkel, has seen around 9,000 fatalities — in comparison with death tolls in the tens of thousands in nearby Italy, France, UK and Spain.

Norway, Denmark and Finland — European countries with female prime ministers — have recorded hundreds of coronavirus deaths. Meanwhile Sweden, which decided not to lockdown its economy as other Nordic countries did, has seen more than 5,600 deaths to date.

Speaking about female leaders’ response to coronavirus, Ms Lagarde said it was “quite fascinating”.

“When you look at those countries that were led by women, and the path that they took and the policies that they adopted, and the communication style that was in play was quite stunning,” she said.

She added: “This is my woman’s bias and I indulge in ceding to this bias.”

In March, as coronavirus started sweeping through Europe, Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, held a press conference just for children so they could ask questions about the Covid-19 outbreak.

Elsewhere in the world, Jacinda Arden, New Zealand’s president, has been praised for imposing an early lockdown. The country has seen 22 deaths to date.

Tweeting a clip of her Washington Post interview, Ms Lagarde said she spoke about “the incredible role women leaders have played amid this pandemic”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in