女性领导人,世界新趋势?

AS IT IS 2016-07-25 New Trend in Women World Leaders? 女性领导人,世界新趋势?

Britain’s Theresa May recently took office as the first woman prime minister since Margaret Thatcher¹. This week, Hillary Clinton will become the first American woman to receive the Democratic Party’s nomination² for president.

These examples, along with others around the world, seem to indicate that women are making solid progress in global politics. But the most recent United Nations report on global women leaders concluded that much can be improved.

There are currently 16 women who head governments around the world, according to the UN Entity³ for Gender⁴ Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). While a few have stayed in office for a long time, many others only served a short time.

Julie Ballington is a policy adviser⁵ on political participation⁶ for UN Women. She says although the number of women in elected positions has doubled over the past 20 years, much more can be done to keep the trend moving. “Overall the message is that progress is being made, but it’s very slow.”

She says cultural and social norms, including gender discrimination, are holding women back from top leadership positions.

“Another major one is the candidate selection process of political parties and the political machinery⁷ itself,” Ballington said. “Women typically have less access to resources than men, and they are less connected in the circles where the fundraising takes place, and that certainly has an impact.”

According to the UN Women report, the percentage of women appointed to government cabinets is lower than women elected. The report also noted⁸ that more women rise to power in parliamentary systems than in direct presidential elections.

Women as leaders of major world powers

One of the longest serving is German Chancellor⁹ Angela Merkel, who was elected in a parliamentary process as the country’s first woman leader in 2005. Merkel grew up in communist East Germany and her political career was launched shortly after the 1989 fall of the Berlin wall.

Merkel has been one of the most influential¹⁰ leaders in Europe over the past decade and was named Time magazine’s 2015 Person of the Year. The magazine praised her leadership on the Greek debt crisis and for her policy to accept tens of thousands of Syrian refugees despite much public opposition¹¹.

The world now has two women leading major powers, Merkel and newly elected British Prime Minister Theresa May. It would be three if Hillary Clinton won in November. In addition, six out of the 12 of candidates vying¹² to be the next UN secretary general are women.

“Personally I see this as a turning tide," Ballington said. "If you had the UN, US, UK, and Germany headed by women, it definitely sets a new era we would be heading into in terms of high-level decision making. It’s symbolic¹³. It shows that now women can be considered for the highest leadership position in three of the top five economies in the world.”

Rachel Vogelstein is the Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations. She said the world will be closely watching the moves of May and Merkel, as both their nations and Europe as a whole, enter crucial times.

“They are both considered to be pragmatic problem solvers and women who kind of put their heads down and get to work. They will have an interesting relationship, particularly given that May will be presiding over Brexit negotiations¹⁴ at the same time that Germany will head into its 2017 election for a new government.”

Merkel called May to congratulate her on becoming prime minister and to wish her success in the new job. A spokesman for Merkel said the two leaders “agreed that cooperation in the spirit of proven friendly relations between both countries should be continued, including in the forthcoming negotiations on Britain's exit from the EU.”

Vogelstein, who also advises the Hillary Clinton campaign, said recent progress in electing women leaders globally is encouraging and does indicate an upward trend.

“But we really do need to see more women at the top to accelerate the pace of change in this area. And I think having a woman at the head of the UN could really send an important signal to that effect.”

One of the candidates for UN secretary general is Helen Clark, who served as prime minster of New Zealand for nine years. She is also the first woman to head the UN Development Program

Vogelstein said no matter which candidate is elected the next UN secretary general, he or she will face major world conflicts, including the global refugee crisis and terrorism. “There is a growing body of evidence that women’s leadership is critical to sustainable conflict resolution. I hope we’ll get a chance to see what a woman at the helm of the UN can do.”

France could also be led by a women if Marine¹⁵ Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front party, mounts a successful challenge to Francois Hollande in next year’s presidential election.

Of course the rise of women leaders is not new in world history, with many examples to demonstrate this.

Other woman leaders in history

Margaret Thatcher was one of the most influential women leaders in modern times. She was Britain’s first female prime minister, serving from 1979 to 1990. She was also the first woman to lead a major Western democracy.

She was known as the “Iron Lady” for her direct language and tough negotiating skills. She ran for office during political and economic turmoil¹⁶ in Britain. She was elected on a platform of fighting the recession and dealing¹⁷ strictly¹⁸ with labor¹⁹ organizations seen as causing unrest.

Other major political figures were Golda Meir of Israel and India’s Indira Gandhi.

Meir was Israel’s fourth prime minister and the first woman to hold the post. After Israel gained independence in 1948, she was appointed ambassador to Russia and was later elected to parliament.

A major challenge during Meir’s five-year tenure²⁰ was handling the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, also known as the Yom Kippur War. Syrian and Egyptian forces attacked Israel. Even though Israel quickly won the conflict, Meir’s government was criticized for underestimating the threat and she resigned in 1974.

Indira Gandhi came from a family of politics and became the first prime minister of an independent India. She served three terms from 1966 to 1977 and was elected to a fourth, but was assassinated²¹ in 1984.

In the beginning she was popular for policies that helped the poor and transformed the country’s agriculture system. But later she became known for her authoritarian²² leadership.

Going back to ancient times, Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who rose to become a martyr²³, military leader and saint. She believed she was acting²⁴ under divine authority when at age 17 she led the French army to victory in the Battle of Orléans.

In Vietnam, the Trung Sisters – Trung Trac and Trung Nhi – were major figures in the Vietnamese independence movement. The two women led the first national uprising against forces of China’s Han dynasty. The courage and strong leadership of the sisters have been cited by scholars as evidence of the respect and freedom given women in Vietnam, compared to China and India.

Words in This Story

era – n. a period of time associated with a person or event

crucial – adj. extremely important

accelerate – v. to move fast, pick up speed

turmoil – n. a state of confusion or disorder²⁵

authoritarian – adj. enforcing strict policies by an authority, especially a government or leader

martyr – n. a person killed because of their religious or other beliefs

oust²⁶ – v. to remove or cause someone to leave a position of power

autocratic – adj. relating to a ruler who has absolute power

1 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

7 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

13 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

15 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

16 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

18 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

19 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

20 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

21 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

22 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

23 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

24 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

25 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

26 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。