Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand is popular on the internet for some time now. She is a leader, mother, partner but most importantly she is a WOMAN. She is an example to the women around the world, her leading presence is a constant reminder to all of us that there is no limitation to what a woman can achieve. I am quite sure every one of us has stumbled upon the picture of her breastfeeding her baby at the UN while surfing the internet. Her dedication as a mother as well as a leader is applaudable. She has managed to exhibit that nothing can stop you if you believe in yourself, your ideas, and your principles. The conservative barriers such as a woman cannot be as good of a leader as a man, a pregnant woman should not work, her primary focus should be caring for her newborn child. She has crushed all of these traditional barriers and is doing a pretty good job. The world needs more leaders like her.
Jacinda Ardern holds 38th position among the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2019 and she is also the first Prime Minister to be pregnant in office. At 37, She became the world’s youngest female head of government. She has proved that a woman can have both a family and a career. For a long time now our society has determined the role of male and female; a woman has to care for the baby at home and the male becoming the job holder, the breadwinner of the family. But again she and her partner, Gayford has proved the entire world wrong by reversing their roles. This is the true example of living in the 21st century, a modern era where people are not bound by their sexes but by their will and determination to make an impact on the world.
She has declared herself to be a feminist. In an article, She says “If you believe in equality, you should be a feminist. If you believe that women and men performing the same job should get the same pay, you should be a feminist. If you believe that places like parliament or local government should reflect the people they represent, and that means having equal showing from women, you should be a feminist. If you believe that women deserve to be free from violence, have economic security, and have choices around the roles they take on – be it caregiver, worker, or both, then you should be a feminist.”
In an interview on TODAY, she talks about kindness and politics. Some might say it is an odd combination but she says “I rebel against the idea that politics has to be a place of ego where you’re constantly focused on scoring hits against one another”. Her opinions on politics, feminism, and gender equality reflect her personality and the type of human being she is. You can be strong and kind and humble altogether.
Thus, Jacinda Ardern is showing the world that no doors are closed to women, that having a baby while being prime minister can be managed, and that it’s acceptable for male partners to be full-time carers. This is a positive role modeling for women empowerment and gender equality. We have yet to learn from New Zealand, the progressiveness it is showing to the world gives us hope that the world is changing and we need to change too. Our views on gender equality and women empowerment should change and progress.
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Reference:
https://www.villainesse.com/girl-power/jacinda-ardern-i-am-feminist
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/21/jacinda-ardern-shows-that-no-doors-are-closed-for-women
About the Author
Salina Karki is a final year Computer Engineering student at Kathmandu Engineering College, Kalimati. She is a Data Science enthusiast aspiring to make her career in the field of Data Science. She writes blogs as her hobby about the topic that interests her. Being an introverted person herself, she expresses her thoughts and feelings through blogs.
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