Gender, Leadership, and Crisis: Possibilities and Perils for Women Leaders

Why are some women leaders hailed as brilliant crisis managers while others draw widespread criticism? This book unpacks the circumstances under which women leaders can successfully navigate major crises. Gender, Leadership, and Crisis shows that gender role expectations can make or break a leader's reputation. Crises provide opportunities for women leaders to exhibit their leadership capacities if they act in accordance with gendered expectations. When women leaders act contrary to gendered expectations, it reinforces the idea that women are unfit leaders; to be considered successful crisis managers, women leaders should frame events in feminized terms, act collaboratively, and demonstrate empathy and meaning making rather than giving orders. The book focuses on how German Chancellor Angela Merkel and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern handled three kinds of crises: a gender-congruent crisis (COVID-19 pandemic), gender- neutral crises (natural disasters), and gender-incongruent crisis (nationalist terrorist attacks). These primary case studies are supplemented with chapters about Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Ebola epidemic), Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (27/F earthquake), and British Prime minister Theresa May (Manchester Stadium bombing). Most importantly, we show that women leaders can be perceived positively in a time of crisis when they act in line with gendered expectations.