Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

What does leadership look like with the men airbrushed out?

Ceri Parker
Previously Commissioning Editor, Forum Stories, World Economic Forum

The answer: there’s a lot of empty chairs.

British women’s magazine Elle compiled the video above as part of its feminist campaign to get more women into positions of power, #morewomen. By Photoshopping men out of images of gatherings of heads of state, it reveals just how stark the gender gap is in global leadership.

In a statement, Elle explained the thinking behind its new campaign:

Smart, successful women are too often portrayed as one-offs: fierce individualists concerned with their own success.

The story of how women in positions of strength continually support and empower each other is consistently ignored while the myth that we pit ourselves against each other perpetuates.

Have you read?
Where are the women in global leadership? 7 charts
Which countries have the most women in parliament?
Why we need more women need a bigger role in peace negotiations

Author: Ceri Radford is Commissioning Editor at the World Economic Forum

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