Allan Olingo
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the women’s rights activist and independence campaigner, made history earlier this year when she was sworn in as Namibia’s president, becoming only the second woman to be directly elected at the helm of an African country after Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Women now hold the top three leadership positions and more than 60% of cabinet positions in Namibia – one of only a handful of countries around the world to have women serving as both head of state and head of government.
Overall, female representation at the most senior levels of political leadership is growing, but at a glacial pace. As of March 2025, women served as heads of state and/or government in only 26 countries. Globally, fewer than one in four (22.9%) of cabinet ministers is female, according to the Women in Politics map compiled by UN Women.
The data also show that while women often hold portfolios related to human rights, gender equality and social protection, men continue to dominate key policy areas such as foreign affairs, finance, home affairs and defense.
“The global picture remains one of significant gender imbalance in political leadership,” says Daisy Amdany, a governance, development and women rights specialist. “Women make up nearly half the global population, yet remain vastly underrepresented in leadership. That’s not just unfair — it’s unreflective of the world we live in. Our leadership must mirror our societies in gender, race, and religion.”
Some studies indicate the benefits go well beyond representation. A 2021 report by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found that when women are empowered to lead politically, the benefits impact society as a whole.
“Women policymakers tend to prioritise issues that support the most vulnerable, including healthcare, welfare, and education. In this way, greater representation of women in leadership contributes to more equitable and compassionate societies,” says Dr. Minna Cowper-Cowles, the report’s author.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, female leaders including New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Germany’s Angela Merkel were praised for their clear communication and decisive actions, seen as resulting in lower infection rates and higher public trust. One study produced in the early months of the pandemic found that women leaders showed a greater empathy and an unwillingness to take risks with people’s lives that researchers said could have been key in that context, though they cautioned that it was too early to reach any firm conclusions.
A 2023 report by Women Political Leaders, a non-profit organization that seeks to boost the number and influence of women politicians, showed a strong link between women’s political representation and the enactment of more inclusive laws that promote gender equality and economic opportunity.
The research found that countries with a gender-equal parliament have an average 10% higher score on legal equality compared to those without gender parity. It also showed that countries with women holding at least half of ministerial positions score, on average, 17% higher on promoting economic equality through legislation.
“Women’s leadership is not just symbolic. Studies consistently show that more diverse leadership leads to better governance outcomes — greater social investment, stronger democratic institutions, and more sustainable peace and prosperity,” says Amdany
“Beyond the statistics, the evidence is clear—women in power don’t just bring diverse perspectives; they champion policies that foster equitable economic opportunities.”
James Sankale, head of the gender development studies department at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, sees Namibia’s new leadership as a “game-changer for women’s leadership”.
But he cautions against the notion that women leaders are intrinsically more egalitarian.
“The idea that women leaders automatically lead better is a weak argument—we simply don’t have studies that back that up,” he says. “Let’s not forget that scandals and poor governance have also occurred under female-led governments. Look at what happened in Bangladesh.”
