Is there a new momentum for women in politics?

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Europe

At least two of the EU's top jobs should go to women, European Council President Donald Tusk said as negotiations for the posts began last week. Austria swore in its first ever female chancellor on Monday. And earlier this year, Slovakia elected its first female president.

So are we seeing a new momentum for women in top government jobs, and why now?

At the top of the EU

As intensive talks got underway on who will lead the bloc after the European election, Tusk called for better female representation, insisting: "It is my plan and my personal ambition and I felt very strong support from almost everyone in this aspect."

With five top EU jobs to be filled, "gender balance means at least two women," he added.

These weren't just empty words. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is seen as a prime contender for the role of European Commission president – especially if the main center-right EPP and center-left S&D groups in the European Parliament block each other's candidates.

Other oft-mentioned names for top EU posts include World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva, IMF chief Christine Lagarde, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and former Danish Premier Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini, the only woman currently in a top EU post, speaks at an event alongside European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn in Brussels, Belgium, May 29, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Having two women in leadership positions in the EU would mark a major shift. No woman has ever headed the European Commission or the European Central Bank; only two have been European Parliament president in 40 years; and at the European Council, the only woman once in charge was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher back in 1986 when the job rotated between national leaders. At present, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini is the only woman to sit at the top table.

In Austria, Brigitte Bierlein, president of the constitutional court, was appointed to lead the country until early elections following the government's sudden collapse. On top of becoming the country's first female chancellor, she named a cabinet with 50-percent female representation, another first.

Setting a precedent

"Men in top jobs are promoting more women to the forefront as they feel it is the right thing to do," Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-founder of the Women Enablers - Change Agent Network (WECAN), a Brussels-based group campaigning for gender equality in politics and more women in leadership positions, told CGTN.

As an interim chancellor, Bierlein's appointment was not decided by election results but by President Alexander Van der Bellen, who appeared eager to set a precedent.

"Nobody will ever be able to say again: it's not possible," he said as he swore in the new chancellor and her cabinet.

Austrian media hailed the decision as an "extremely important and strong signal" and a "unique – and let's be honest, pretty phenomenal – coup."

In Ireland, the government has been lobbying for a top female MEP, Mairead McGuinness, to become the next European Parliament president.

Why now?

The presence of a handful of powerful women on the world stage over the past few years has demonstrated what is possible.

"We are seeing incredibly competent women run top jobs from Christine Lagarde at the IMF to Chancellor (Angela) Merkel of Germany," noted Dixson-Declève.

"These women and many others have shown great leadership, foresight, intellect and professionalism in undertaking these roles at a time when there is a dire need for better leadership across the globe."

European Council President Donald Tusk (L), British Prime Minister Theresa May (C) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) talk during a European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, April 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

They have become models to follow. Greater numbers of women getting involved in politics have also resulted in more of them reaching the top.

Slovakia's President-elect Zuzana Čaputová had no political experience before she won the March election, but has been credited with leading a positive campaign focused on tolerance and progressive values rather than political attacks.

"Women can bring a different approach to communications and cooperation," she acknowledged.

Cleaning up the mess

But there is still some way to go.

Ahead of Bierlein's nomination, some commentators wondered what kind of signal was being sent by bringing in a woman to clean up a mess left by men – the government's collapse followed a video scandal that caused the vice-chancellor to resign in disgrace and led to the chancellor being ousted in a no-confidence vote.

"It's a classic situation: women get their turn when there's broken glass to be cleared up," Austrian political expert Kathrin Stainer-Haemmerle commented.

While some politicians may also be more open to nominating women to top jobs, in many parts of the world – including in Europe – this is still far from the norm. And when elections and voters are involved, all bets are off.

According to the UN, there are currently only about a dozen women heads of state worldwide. Recent elections in India, Indonesia, Ukraine and Australia had no major female contender.

Lindiwe Sisulu, South Africa's social development minister (R), during a swearing-in ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa, May 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

And while a record number of women were elected to the new European Parliament this year, they will still only hold about 39 percent of seats, according to an analysis by The Guardian newspaper.

"This is truly not enough," said Dixson- Declève, whose WECAN group has called on EU lead candidates "to commit to a gender-balanced EU."

Just as qualified

This appeal is not just "for parity's sake," she insisted. "We fundamentally believe that today's complex problems can only be solved with a more diverse leadership that includes women."

Regardless of gender, Vestager, Georgieva and McGuinness – respectively, a former Danish minister for economic and interior affairs, a former vice-president of the European Commission, and a current vice-president of the European Parliament – are among the most qualified candidates for a top EU job, their supporters note.

Van der Bellen also highlighted Bierlein's experience as Austria's top judge upon appointing her, while experts praised her ability to get the job done calmly and efficiently.

Small steps

With his comments, Tusk sent a clear signal of where the European Union should be headed. Eleven EU member states already have gender quotas on political parties, according to Dixson-Declève.

Farther afield, South Africa announced a gender-balanced cabinet last week for the first time.

Now all eyes will be on Brussels to see if European leaders follow suit.

(Cover: CGTN composite of VCG and Reuters pictures showing from L to R: IMF chief Christine Lagarde, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva, Slovakia's president-elect Zuzana Čaputová, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and Austrian interim Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein.)