“Because there are few women in politics, there are few women in politics”

After the attack on the mosque in Christchurch, all eyes were on her. Jacinda Adern, the female Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Thirty-eight years old, attractive, and a mother as well. After the Prime Minister of Pakistan (Pakistan!), she is the second head of state ever to take maternity leave. With cameras from around the world focused on her, she kept her cool and guided her country with decisiveness, wisdom, and empathy through a turbulent time. A strong example of leadership.

Finland. All five leaders of the coalition are women, four of whom are even under thirty-four years old. This means twelve of the nineteen ministers are women. The only country with a higher percentage of women in government is Spain. Germany had Angela Merkel for many years, and recently a female president has also taken office in Greece.

Why is it so important for more women to reach the political top? Because it’s time for a fresh breeze. In Iceland, New Zealand, and Scotland, economic growth is no longer central, but rather social standards, housing, the environment, education, and equality. From prosperity to well-being. Not coincidentally, a woman is at the helm in these countries. The women in Finland also plan to prioritize people and the planet. Aren’t we all a bit fed up with multinationals that only seek more money and politicians who only seek more power? It’s time for estrogen.

But... where are the women who will take the lead in the Netherlands?

‘Because there are few women in politics, there are few women in politics,’ says Mei Li Vos, a member of the Senate for the PvdA. ‘And because the Netherlands is backward. Can you believe that 50 years ago the Dolle Mina’s already occupied Nijenrode to demand admission to the school? And we still apparently can’t produce a prime minister.’

So whose fault is it? The men or perhaps the women themselves? Men in the Netherlands are considered quite feminine. Fathers also have a parental leave day and ride with their heads held high on a cargo bike. In my surroundings, I see more and more men who are home with the children more often than their wives. But just as research shows that men haven’t done more housework since they work less, they apparently aren’t ready to accept leadership from a woman.

Then there are the women among themselves. I haven’t been to the schoolyard for a while, but from what I understand from friends, you still get strange looks when you say you work full-time. (By the way, also if you are a full-time mother.) The ideal woman has a job for three to four days, just enough to come across as intelligent, but leaving your children ‘abandoned’ is really not the intention. Additionally, childcare is screamingly expensive, so that doesn’t make it any easier.

Then there’s something else going on. When a woman is in power, we seem to have little confidence in her in the Netherlands. Groen Links is the only party whose number of seats increased when a woman, namely Femke Halsema, came to power. Read carefully what is stated here. In all other parties, the number of seats dramatically decreased after a woman took office. Why are we so intolerant towards our female counterparts? Mei Li: ‘To be a political leader, you need to be quite convinced of yourself. You have to enjoy being in the spotlight and be healthily vain. Traits that we apparently accept from a man, but not from a woman. We find it normal for a man to have his quirks. We expect perfection from a woman.’

We also seem unable to get past the appearance of prominent women. When a female politician sits at a talk show table, you can bet that there will be more tweets about her hairstyle than about her substantive position. And yes, I catch myself doing that too. Mei Li: ‘If you want more women in politics, stop judging based on appearance. If you’re watching television and feel inclined to say something about someone’s dress, just keep your mouth shut. And the second thing you can do is vote for a woman. That sounds logical, yet it still happens too little.’

We can do this, right?