Jacinda Ardern Gives the World a Lesson in Humility

“Jacinda Ardern and young female leaders – including Finland’s PM Sanna Marin and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen – who have emerged in the last decade stand as a counterpoint to the loud, attention-seeking and narcissistic male leaders riding a wave of populist sentiment. They show us that countries can be run not only with force and bravado, but with compassion as well as a sense of humour. You can be a deft politician and an empathetic one, while having a laugh along the way,” Bloomberg opinion editor Andreea Papuc writes in a piece published by The Washington Post.

“Ardern’s decision to stand down shows that women continue to be torn between their political ambitions and private lives. In 2018, she became the first female prime minister to give birth in office since Pakistan’s late Benazir Bhutto,” Papuc writes.

“I suspect our discomfort with Ardern’s announcement has more to do with us craving role models that do everyone proud globally. They are strong, accomplished, assertive, but also display grace under pressure. Now more than ever, the world needs them.”

Original article by Andreea Papuc, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, January 20, 2023.