NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN—THE YOUNGEST FEMALE HEAD OF STATE IN THE WORLD—IS UNMARRIED AND HAVING A BABY, AND SHE DOESN’T CARE WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT.
At age 38, Jacinda Ardern is the youngest female head of state and one of few women leaders worldwide. Since taking office last year, Ardern has drawn support for her outspokenly liberal stance on social issues: She advocates decriminalizing abortion and legalizing marijuana, and she was the first prime minister of New Zealand to march in a gay-pride parade. Now she’s attracting a different type of attention—for becoming the second leader in modern history to give birth while in office. (The first was Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990.) And for being unmarried (she and the baby’s father, Clarke Gayford, have been dating for four years) and the first elected leader in world history to take maternity leave. This month, as she returns to work following six weeks’ leave, we chat with her about stay-at-home dads, #MeToo, and working with President Donald Trump.
MARIE CLAIRE: HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO BE A FEMALE LEADER ON THE WORLD STAGE? WHEN HILLARY CLINTON WAS RUNNING FOR U.S. PRESIDENT, FOR EXAMPLE, SO MUCH WAS MADE OF HER BEHAVIOR. SOME CRITICS CALLED HER COLD AND CALCULATING, WHILE OTHERS SAID SHE WAS TRYING TOO HARD.
JA: You do have those extra layers of judgment that aren’t usually applied to men. When I came into politics, I remember reading these scorecards of my performance, and I would routinely have these comments about not being assertive enough. At that point, I had a choice to make: Either I could fill the expectations people had for how a politician was supposed to behave, or I could just be myself and bring a different form of political leadership. To me, it was obvious: I could only ever sustain being myself.
MC: ONE MALE COLUMNIST SAID YOU’RE “TOO NICE” TO BE P.M.
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