‘The world would be a better place if more political leaders were women.’ What is your view?
Question Analysis:
Female stereotype- more emotional; more nurturing and caring
Male stereotype: Stronger; more aggressive to push through policies; less emotional
Better place- economic prosperity; technological advancement; greater peace and prosperity for all; increased medical advancement to ensure
Some political leaders to take note: Aung San Suu Kyi; Margaret Thatcher; Angela Merkel
UK was once the ‘sick man of Europe’: Margaret Thatcher was known as the iron lady who can push through difficult times
Some possible arguments:
Men have greater tendencies towards aggressive acts that may spark war or even abuse of human rights (genocide). History has shown that men sparked destructive wars more compared to women. Examples of such dictators include: Stalin, Hilter, and even Pol Pot. This could potentially be due to the higher testosterone levels of the men.
Men are believed to be less emotional compared to women; hence they are able to base decisions based on rational thinking. Rational thinking is especially important during crisis times of a nation, and to look at things objectively. However, rational thinking should not take precedence all the time. Decisions should be based on emotions as well.
Female political leaders are believed to be more nurturing and hence better able to develop people under them/mentor them into better individuals and leaders. Female leaders are able to use their emotions to make decisions, have people’s welfare more at heart, to ensure a more nurturing workplace and society for all.
Females are less corrupted than men. But I’m sure there are black sheep among the females. Marcos’ wife has a large collection of shoes- 1000. This corruption scandal shook the country so much so that they set up a museum to house the shoes, just to serve as a reminder to the public to be aware of the politicians’’ actions and potential corruption.
Evaluation:
A good student should not just be arguing whether political leaders are better if they are female or male. He or she should take a step back and ponder about the larger issue- what kind of leaders can actually make the world a better place for all?
Should political leaders be decided on a gender bias basis? What matters is the innate quality of the leaders? A good leader should be one who has foresight, strong moral ethics and the leadership qualities.
PS: If you are interested in how GP is being taught in lessons, please have a look at our upcoming crash course in May.
Here’s the link: https://theculture.sg/2016/03/gp-crash-course/
