Embracing Femininity in Politics
Written by Ava Bland, BA Politics & International Relations.
Allow me to paint a picture for you. I am at the London Green Party conference in 2025, and after many panel discussions, the Q&A begins. A woman stands up and emotionally delivers her gratitude to Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, for embracing feminine traits and characteristics in political situations to drive a message of hope, not hate. This was the first time I had considered that gender in politics is far more profound than the concept of equal representation.
To consider a deeper gendered analysis of politics, we must first clear up the common confusion surrounding the terms gender and sex. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines gender as ‘the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed and states that norms, behaviours and roles are associated with being a certain gender.’ Sex, again defined by the WHO, refers to ‘different biological and physiological characteristics between men, women and intersex persons.’ While gender and sex are not the same, the definitions of female and male are often confused with ideas of femininity and masculinity, thus creating stereotypes. Typically, traits such as empathy, sensitivity and nurturance tend to be associated with women while characteristics such as strength, assertiveness and leadership are associated with men.
These socially embedded stereotypes weave their way into our lives, mostly in ways we are unaware. About 7-8% of the world's national leaders are women, and out of the 193 UN member states, only 14 are led by women. We need to not only question why there is unequal representation in political spaces but also how gendered stereotypes puppeteer political figures.
"In a world where masculinity dominates, we see bombings instead of discussions, power prioritised over people and conflicts erupting, leading to immense loss of life. For a world of humans, we lack humanity.”
Take the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) as an example. A World Economic Forum study, examining 194 countries, found that those led by females, who typically embrace more feminine characteristics, experienced fewer fatalities, although the infection levels were roughly the same. Germany, led by Angela Merkel, was compared to the UK, led by Boris Johnson, to demonstrate how Germany only suffered a quarter of the deaths that the UK suffered. The report explained that this is due to the female-led countries embracing compassion more, meaning that they enacted quicker lockdowns and they were less willing to take risks to preserve lives. Whereas male-led countries took more risks in the interest of the economy, demonstrating a clear difference in how feminine and masculine characteristics play into global politics.
Generally, due to masculine characteristics embodied by the males who dominate international politics, global issues are responded to with predominantly force, strength and an idea of being the protector, rather than acting with care and sympathy as someone who embodies feminine characteristics would.
In a world where masculinity dominates, we see bombings instead of discussions, power prioritised over people and conflicts erupting, leading to immense loss of life. For a world of humans, we lack humanity.
This is not to say that the world should not be run only by women, although we do desperately need more women in positions of power. The point being made is that when responding to global crises, leaders need to embrace more feminine characteristics of compassion and empathy alongside the more dominant male characteristics such as strength and leadership. The dire state of our current political situation requires world leaders, regardless of how they identify, to be both strong and sensitive.
The point being made is that world leaders need to recognise that they are trapped by gendered stereotypes, and to effectively govern a population and conduct peace internationally, they must break free of the prison of being masculine or feminine and embrace more feminine characteristics.
