Leadership in Crisis – Do Women Lead Better?

In the recent months, a pandemic has affected us globally and this has placed significant pressure on leadership and global policies. COVID19 has affected our lives drastically, challenged our understanding of normality, public life, and socialising. 

In terms of leadership, recent reports highlight that countries led by women have suffered six times fewer confirmed COVID19 deaths, as compared to countries led by men. Female leaders such as Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern and Tsai Ing-wen; were commended for their communication skills, trustworthiness, rationality, and resilience. Various studies indicate that female leaders agreed to implement lockdown earlier, which contributed to the successful limitation of viral transmission. Globally females have demonstrated a more effective leadership style but are still not being put forward for more leadership positions.

In celebrating women’s month, Thando Channel is hosting a Webinar which will be broadcasted Live on Facebook on 27 August 2020 at 6pm CAT.  Our panel will consist of phenomenal African female leaders from all over the continent and they will be unpacking female leadership amid a crisis. The panel comprises of Faith Senam April (Founder of E’April and Women in PR Ghana, Ghana), Razia Adam (Founder of Lwandle RNS Holdings, South Africa), Maya Muturi Hayakawa (Business Broadcast Journalist at BBC, Kenya), and Suzie Wokabi (Founder of SuzieBeauty, Kenya), and the session will be moderated by Teboho Mafodi (Businessman, South Africa).  

“The objective of the Webinar is to create a platform for women to share insight about various aspects of leadership. The key questions that we aim to address include: ‘Why did the countries led by women do better at managing the COVID19 crisis’ and ‘Do women lead differently from men?’” Says, Sapi Bachi (Founder – Thando Channel)

The declaration of females as better leaders during COVID19 is the most difficult to confirm, as there are few female leaders as compare to male leaders globally.  However, the recent trend of how female leaders have reported fewer deaths globally is worth noting.