Female Leadership at a Tipping Point

In 2019, the World Economic Forum’s yearly gender study revealed a growing gender gap in politics and business. The number of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies has fallen by almost one-third. Thus, some gender-equality advocates feel “optimistically pessimistic” – that is, confident that change is possible but vigilant against further backsliding.

Elevating female role models is part of the solution. Canada’s 2015 coup of a gender-balanced government cabinet sent a “powerful message” to younger women and improved collaboration among cabinet members. Similarly, a gender-balanced cabinet under UN high commissioner...