With Hillary Clinton poised to become the Democratic nominee in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Theresa May having recently taken over as prime minister of the U.K. following its vote to leave the European Union, and Angela Merkel in her 11th year as Germany\u2019s chancellor, the leaders of three of the world\u2019s most powerful economies could all for the first time be women.<\/p>\n
Pundits and bloggers are raising the question of whether this latest shattering of the glass ceiling for women in politics will make a difference in resolving issues between countries in the world, or preventing the escalation of issues into violent confrontations.<\/p>\n
\n… as more women become actively involved in political decision-making, both the process and the types of interactions may change. Diversity in gender will thus bring with it diversity in viewpoints … — Mark Boyer and Scott Brown<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Mark A. Boyer, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and executive director of the International Studies Association, who has studied gender and negotiation, says female leaders have acted decisively in such situations in the past, but that a shift in \u201ctraditional gender roles and the policy action that emerges from them\u201d will require still more women holding public office around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving more women in decision-making roles and having more under-represented groups in decision-making roles has the potential to bring a diversity of ideas that might find solutions that weren\u2019t considered otherwise,\u201d says Boyer, co-author of a 2001 study \u201cGender, Violence, and International Crisis,\u201d published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution<\/em><\/a>, that examined how female heads of state reacted to situations classified as international crises involving their country.<\/p>\n
The study considered 10 crises in the late 20th century that in some instances led to armed conflict, such as India under Indira Gandhi, a 1971 clash with Pakistan; Israel led by Golda Meir, including several attacks on the country between 1969 and 1973; Pakistan under Benazir Bhutto, a clash with India in 1990; and the United Kingdom led by Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands War in 1982. In all of those situations, the female heads of state reacted to defend their country following violent or nonviolent attacks.<\/p>\n