Countries led by women have not fared significantly better in the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men — it may be just our Western media bias that makes us think they have!
In this paper the authors explore whether countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men.
Media and public health officials have lauded the perceived gender-related influence on policies and strategies for reducing the deleterious effects of the pandemic. The authors examine this proposition by analyzing COVID-19-related deaths globally across countries led by men and women.
While some limited support was found for lower reported fatality rates in countries led by women, they are not statistically significant. Country cultural values offer more substantive explanation for COVID-19 outcomes.
The authors offer several potential explanations for the pervasive perception that countries led by women have fared better during the pandemic, including data selection bias and Western media bias that amplified the successes of women leaders in OECD countries.
Reference: “Gender in the time of COVID-19: Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities” by Leah C. Windsor, Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, Alistair J. Windsor, Robert Ostergard, Susan Allen, Courtney Burns, Jarod Giger and Reed Wood, 31 December 2020, PLOS.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244531
Source: SciTechDaily
