Welcome Finance Enthusiasts !!

This International Women’s Day let us talk about a field where the role of women is comparatively less. As per argument women are competing with men in all the fields but Politics has always been a men’s zone. This profession has been dictated by patriarchy but has seen some fearsome females. Let us know about five such women who have forged their own paths in the world politics.

1) Jacinda Arden – New Zealand’s Ex Prime Minister

Jacinda is termed as rockstar politician. She took office in 2017 aged 37 to become New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years. The coronavirus pandemic was the worldwide test of political leadership. During the Pandemic New Zealand’s Prime Minister had made the world recognise the female leadership when New Zealand controlled the virus in the most effective manner. She arranged regular Facebook Live sessions where she sent clear messages to the country. She empathised with the people and shared their pain. She set an example in January 2023 when she resigned saying she doesn’t have enough in the tank to fulfill the responsibilities of running the country till the next elections.

2) Late Mrs Sushma Swaraj – Minister of External Affairs

Sushma Swaraj was the first woman to hold the position of Chief Minister in Delhi. Her Hindi speeches in the Lok Sabha were so powerful that people were bound to thud their desks. Her command over the language was remarkable that she would answer in shayaris to the opposition. She addressed issues like communalism, secularism, abolishment of Article 370 in her speeches. As Minister of External Affairs she established Videsh Bhavan in BKC. During her tenure approx 80,000 Indians stranded abroad were rescued. Citizens from other countries were also rescued which strengthened our international ties. Washington Post in one it’s articles called her as “Supermom” and rightly she was. She was popular among the youth by interacting with them on Twitter.

3) Late Ms. Jayalalithaa – Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Her political career shows that she was a “mother of comebacks”. She had contested 9 elections for the post of CM in her career and has won 7 of them. Laced with controversy she had always made a strong case to serve her people. She was Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister for 14 years spread out for 6 terms. During her time she introduced the ‘Cradle Baby Scheme’ to prevent the female foeticide. Her government introduced police stations solely operated by women. 30% quota for females were introduced in the police workforce. Between 2011-16 she introduced the brand “Amma”. The government started Amma Canteens, pharmacy, vegetable outlets, packaged drinking water and much more. People loved the scheme and it was continued by her successors.

4) Sheikh Hasina – Prime Minister of Bangladesh

She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the man behind the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971. She was active in politics from her days in University of Dhaka. Her entire family was assassinated by military officers in 1975. Hasina was out of country when the incident happened and subsequently she had to spent six years in exile. When she came back to Bangladesh she propagated democracy and became the leader of the opposition. She condemned the violence of military rule and gained support of the Bangladeshis. The military rule ended in December 1990. Hasina was elected the Prime Minister in 1996. Her tenure has seen political turmoil and lots of mishappenings. Bangladesh has maintained cordial relationship with India under her leadership. If it wasn’t for Hasina then Bangladesh might have still be under military rule.

5) Kamala Haris – Vice President of America

She became the first female Vice President of United States and first woman of colour to hold the post. Her iconic phone call to Joe Biden on her morning walk talked many things when she said ‘we did it Joe, we did it’. Her appointment broke many glass ceilings as she took oath in the White men dominion of American politics. In her victory speech she said she maybe the first to hold this office but she won’t be the last. She has paved way for generations of women of colour who will dream with ambition and work towards greater America.

With the presence of females in the politics, the economy starts looking at the problems with a whole new perspective. The economy will thrive with better support to the female working class which are now close to 50% of the working population. Political environment affects the macro-economic factors in a major way. Thus a shift in the overall leadership is something we shoud be looking forward too.