Men Rule the World

Pretty Young Professional
June 6, 2011 | Pamela O’Leary

The Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University recently released a new fact sheet about the status of women heads of state around the world.  Of the 197 self-governing countries in the world, only 11.2 percent have women heads of state or government in the form of a president or a prime minister. And of the 44 monarchies in the world, only 6.8 percent have women royal leaders.

What does this really mean?  Well, on the flip side of those statistics, the reality is that 88.8 percent of the countries in the world are led by men and that 93. 2 percent of all monarchies are led by men.  Those are pretty staggering numbers, especially when women make up 51% of the world’s population.

The world needs more women leaders now.  Women are less corrupt leaders. Women are the key to international development. More women in top positions yield a higher return on investment.  And, women are necessary for economic prosperity. Bottom line, as the great American suffragist Alice Paul once declared, “There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it.”