In Focus by The Hindu When she is Right: Is a female conservative PM good news for women?
Nov 12, 2025
Suhasini Haider, Senior Journalist and National Editor at The Hindu, dives into the rise of female conservative leaders like Japan’s Sanae Takaichi. She discusses the complex reactions to Takaichi's leadership among Japanese women, highlighting mixed feelings of pride and indifference. Suhasini explores how gender intersects with other identities in politics and examines the implications of right-wing female leaders on traditional power dynamics. Ultimately, she emphasizes the importance of policy impacts over gender in evaluating leadership.
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Gender Intersects With Other Identities
- Women in power often reflect other dominant identities like family ties, caste, class, or religion more than gender alone.
- Suhasini Haider warns that gender can be overshadowed by these intersecting identities when evaluating leaders.
A Conservative Woman Leader In Japan
- Sanae Takaichi is a conservative, nationalist leader who models herself on Margaret Thatcher.
- Her posture includes tougher defense spending and anti-immigration stances rather than advancing women's rights.
Numbers Reveal Persistent Gender Gaps
- Global representation of women in top roles remains low: only about one-eighth of countries have women heads of state or government.
- Women also cluster in 'soft' portfolios, with 87% serving in gender, family or social roles instead of defense or energy.
