Following Sheikh Hasina’s downfall, a fresh wave of discussions have questioned the capability of women in leadership roles. A lot of netizens, primarily men and also some women, have begun to cite Hasina’s government’s shortcomings as proof that women should not lead countries. These claims are often backed by using religious texts as well as cultural norms.
But is gender truly the issue here? The problem that makes leadership go awry? If so, why does the conversation shift to the leader’s gender whenever a woman falters but not when men do?
The double standards
Through the years, we have been witness to the failure of several male leaders. Whether through corruption, economic mismanagement, or human rights violations, these issues are attributed to personal flaws. When Aung San Suu Kyi and her handling of the Rohingya crisis received deserving international criticism, why were her missteps immediately seen as a reflection of gender but not as her personal incapability?
History has shown us that male leaders have failed with equal, if not greater frequency. Adolf Hitler, responsible for millions of deaths, led Germany to catastrophic ruin during World War II. Yet, his leadership disasters have rarely -- if ever -- been used to question men's overall ability to lead or to talk about the potential risks of male leadership.
Even though in the “right team” during the war, Joseph Stalin's reign in the Soviet Union saw the deaths of an estimated 20 million people, many of whom perished due to his purges, forced labour camps, and famine policies. Yet Stalin is often remembered for his contribution to WWII instead.
Even today, our male-dominated leadership attempting to broker a ceasefire in Gaza is failing miserably. With Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden in the centre for the deal, the stakeholders (majority men) continue to falter in securing peace, exposing the dangerous double standard that criticizes women for their supposed lack of leadership capability while absolving men of collective responsibility for their historical and current failures.
And yet, no one suggests that these failures prove men are unfit to lead. This selective scrutiny reveals a societal bias: When men fail, it’s personal. When women fail, it’s gendered. This flawed narrative needs to be dismantled if we are to evaluate leadership based on merit rather than gender. Why does this gendered bias still persist?
Have women excelled in leadership?
Do you know Jacinda Ardern? You might have seen her after the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. While the world is full of Islamophobia, Ardern displayed empathy as well as a decisive style of governance during the attacks. She led a rapid overhaul of New Zealand’s gun laws, banning military-style semi-automatic weapons within weeks of the tragedy. Ardern’s government also implemented one of the world’s most successful Covid-19 responses.
In Germany, Angela Merkel guided the country through multiple crises, including the 2008 global financial crisis as well as the Eurozone debt crisis. It was under her leadership that Germany’s GDP managed to grow steadily. Though it received criticism from anti-immigrants, Merkel's decision to open Germany's borders in 2015 to over 1 million refugees showed the world that it was possible for leaders to be humane.
As Africa’s first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s presidency helped Liberia’s GDP grow from $900 million in 2005 to $3bn by 2017, and foreign direct investment increased significantly. Under her leadership, Liberia secured $4.6bn in international debt relief in 2010, providing much-needed economic stability and a foundation for growth. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her efforts to further women’s rights and peace.
Countless other women have proven their leadership when given the opportunity to excel in politics and governance across the globe. In fact, even when it comes to managing households, one needs leadership skills, something women in all parts of the world consistently show.
Feminist leaders who changed the world
The world often forgets the achievements of women, especially the feminist movement. Though many are yet to accept or even understand the concept of feminism, that's a discussion for another day.
Let’s take a look at someone who is close to home, Begum Rokeya, a woman clearly ahead of her time. She advocated that women should be treated equally as men and understood the reasons for women’s economic position.
History has shown us that male leaders have failed with equal, if not greater frequency
She established the first school for Muslim girls in Kolkata, tirelessly visiting homes to encourage parents to send their daughters to her school in Nisha. In 1916, she founded the Muslim Women's Association, which advocated for women's education and employment. Despite facing hostility and societal challenges, she continued to run the school until her death. Is it possible to do such work if your gender is incapable of leadership?
Just like Begum Rokeya, Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir, Sojourner Truth, and many other women have fought diligently for societal transformation. These women, much like Rokeya, prove that leadership knows no gender -- it is defined by the courage and determination to challenge oppressive norms and pave the way for future generations.
The barriers to female leadership
Turning a blind eye to the success of women, our society continues to put more and more obstacles in the way of women. It can be classified as hypocritical to triple-burden women and then call them incapable if even one aspect is slightly lacking.
Cultural expectations dictate that women must prioritize family life over ambitions. Moreover, in many parts of the world, women face systematic barriers, starting from wage inequality to a lack of access to education and professional opportunities.
Bangladesh still grapples with significant gender disparity. Just because we have seen two female prime ministers, it is not indicative of the overall representation of women in parliament and other areas of governance. The country still tends to be male-dominated in multiple fields.
Societal expectations and conservative attitudes make it challenging for women to break into leadership roles, even when they are qualified. The very barriers that block women from leading are often cited as reasons they are “incapable” of doing so -- an irony that underscores the bias at play.
Even in countries like the United States, one of the most powerful and supposedly progressive nations in the world, a woman has yet to be elected as president. This reality raises important questions: Is this because women are inherently less capable of leadership, or does it reflect the persistence of patriarchal structures that limit women’s access to high-level decision-making roles?
Leadership is not gendered
Leadership is about skill, experience, and character, not about whether you are a man or a woman. Isn’t it high time we stopped seeing leadership through the lens of gender and instead focused on qualities that truly matter?
Good or bad leadership does not see gender. Women have demonstrated time and again that they are just as capable as their male counterparts while lacking equal opportunities.
The question has never been if women can lead, but if society will allow them. How many women, who could have been great leaders, were never given the chance? We will never know.
As long as we continue to place hurdles in their way, we deny ourselves the chance to see the change they are ready to bring. The truth is, they’re more than prepared to take on the mantle of responsibility and drive meaningful transformation. It’s society that needs to catch up.
Sk Mustarin Muskan Mortuza works at the Dhaka Tribune.