When Women Rule the World

Netflix's The Diplomat:

- JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ

In Season 3 of Netflix's The Diplomat, women rule the world. The president of the United States is a woman; the American ambassador to the United Kingdom is a woman; the White House chief of staff is a woman; the chief of the CIA station in London is a woman; and one of the prime movers of the deadly bombing that is the lynchpin of all three seasons — is, you guessed it, a woman.

The hand that rocks the cradle gets to punch the codes in a nuclear attack.

The men in the series play supporting roles, and in a reverse of positions in traditional storylines — the men don't occupy the throne but in many instances, are the power behind it.

So who rules in The Diplomat, Season 3? You have to watch the fast-paced series (which entertains as well as piques your brain) to find out.

Do the characters reflect what's going on in the world stage, where more and more women are elected president or prime minister of their country?

The “small” (in terms of membership) club of women heads of state and government, which once included game-changers like the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Cory Aquino, is now growing exponentially.

(As of September 2025, there are 32 women serving as heads of state and/or government across 29 countries, according to UN Women. While the total number is 32, 25 countries are led by a woman in total, with women in some countries serving as both head of state and head of government.)

“In Season 3, we pick right up on that moment where Grace (portrayed by Allison Janney) has no idea what's going on,” The Diplomat creator and showrunner Debora Cahn is quoted as saying by the Netflix publication Tudum. “All Grace knows is that her Secret Service detail is racing toward her — and there are only a couple of things that can create that situation.”