Evidently, we need more of the feminine leadership style that emphasizes compassion and resilience amid this adversity and uncertainty. A serious attempt must therefore be made to promote gender equality in alignment with recovery efforts to pave the way toward a better world.

From the macro level of heads of state and government to the micro level of organization and community leaders and even matriarchs, we have seen women providing strong and effective leadership.

Moreover, last year’s study by Supriya Garikipati and Uma Kambhampati found that countries led by women were proactive and decisive, and led to lower COVID-19 fatality rates. This finding was consistent with Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman's research, which suggested that women were not only more effective leaders in general, but also better leaders during crises.

The driving force behind the effectiveness of female leaders derives from their behavior, traits and characteristics, which are crucial during a crisis. They showed more compassion for the feelings of others and concern for wellbeing, but were also confident in their plans. They also demonstrated essential skills such as communication, collaboration and flexibility.

As Garikipati and Kambhampati indicated in their study, women tended to be risk-averse when it comes to human life, but they are risk takers when it comes to economic hardships. As for men, some studies argued that when gambling was framed as potential loss, they tended to be more risk-averse than women.

Ultimately, women's risk appetite, or acceptable level of risk, may explain why female leaders were likely to accept the potential economic costs of early lockdowns to save human lives.

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