Ayee on Women’s Political Leadership in the COVID-19 Pandemic By Gloria Y.A. Ayee co-editor of Historically, women have been significantly underrepresented in political leadership positions globally, and gender discrimination and inequality in the political sphere remains a key issue that many nations contend with. In recent months, the different approaches to crisis management and responses to public health concerns taken by men and women in positions of political power has come under scrutiny, igniting the debate about the role of women in politics and raising questions about whether women are generally better at managing crises. Women are often encouraged to emulate men’s leadership styles; however, during a crisis like the current pandemic, women in positions of political leadership tend to be more successful because they generally embody traits like empathy and humility, in addition to qualities like assertiveness and confidence, that they can leverage in their favor.