Finland’s Sanna Marin, who is 34, will become the youngest serving prime minister when she is sworn in later this week. Is it a coincidence that these two nations, often viewed as progressive beacons, both have women in charge (while Ms Marin will become Finland’s third female prime minister, Ms Ardern is New Zealand’s third)? A female leader is certainly no guarantee that a country, or a party, has a progressive outlook. The UK’s two female prime ministers have been Conservatives. Far from feeling hamstrung by her reliance on coalition partners, Ms Ardern told the Guardian that building consensus is an aspect of her job that she enjoys.

Source: The Guardian December 09, 2019 18:22 UTC