During the pandemic, the compassionate leadership of the likes of New Zealand’s Jacinda Arden and Germany’s Angela Merkel were lauded after data from the World Economic Forum showed that countries with female leaders fared better.  Similarly, research from the University of Buffalo says that female leaders tend to fit the servant leadership mold that is so important in our current time better than their male peers.

It should perhaps come as no surprise, therefore, that research from Rice University reveals that female politicians are more likely to deliver on their campaign promises than their male colleagues.

Keeping promises

The researchers looked at the campaign promises and subsequent policymaking by parties that had been elected into office across 10 countries from Europe and North America.  The data included the number of women in leadership and elected offices.

The analysis revealed that promises were most likely to be kept when women were both in government and in leadership roles within that government.  The researchers believe that their findings highlight the crucial role women play in the policymaking process.

They also suggest that voters are increasingly well-informed about the promises candidates make and whether they’ve been kept or not, which allows them to hold politicians to account more effectively.

“Women may in fact be more effective at this process than men, even when faced with the same institutional challenges,” they say.