Are There Differences Between Male and Female Leaders' Response Strategies?

• In Event: Relevance, Quality, and Expedience: Political Science Responds to COVID-19: Identity and Responses to COVID-19

Abstract

According to news speaks all over the world, the COVID-19 virus is showcasing gendered leadership to everyone: Male leaders such as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson initially applied a laid back, macho-“we are not afraid” attitude and did not set up extensive measures to fight the virus, as female leaders such as Jacinda Ardern and Angela Merkel did. Or did they? This study examines whether nations with female heads of government have applied more extensive measures to combat the COVID-19 virus than countries that are led by men. Using the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker dataset, we find that there are no indications of female leaders generally applying more far-reaching measures than their male colleagues. However, we do find that in OECD countries, female heads of government are significantly less likely to require school shutdowns than their male colleagues. Since women are more vulnerable in the conflict between labor of production and reproduction than men, not shutting down schools could be viewed as representing female interests. We are currently applying various statistical models to assess the relative importance of other factors in explaining this difference.

Authors

• Mette Marie Staehr Harder, Karlstad University

• Christoffer Bugge Harder, Lund University