Authors meet Critics: Gender, Leadership, and Crisis: Possibilities and Perils for Women Leaders (OUP, 2026)

Abstract

This panel is an authors-meet-critics roundtable about the 2026 Oxford University Press book Gender, Leadership, and Crisis: Possibilities and Perils for Women Leaders by Louise K. Davidson-Schmich, Farida Jalalzai, and Malliga Och. Scholars from universities in Finland, Austria, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States will discuss the book’s methodological and empirical contributions. It bridges approaches from communication (research on crisis communication), business (women in leadership studies), psychology (literature on social role congruency), and political science to evaluate how women presidents and prime ministers are evaluated by the general public during times of crisis. Methodologically, the book examines women leaders’ crisis communication including press releases, press conferences, podcasts, TV and parliamentary speeches. Why are some women leaders hailed as brilliant crisis managers while others draw widespread criticism? This book unpacks the circumstances under which women leaders can successfully navigate major crises. It shows that gender role expectations can make or break a leader’s reputation. Crisis communication provides opportunities for women leaders to exhibit their leadership capacities if they act in accordance with gendered expectations. When women leaders act contrary to gendered expectations, it reinforces the idea that women are unfit leaders; to be considered successful crisis managers, women leaders should frame events in feminized terms, act collaboratively, and demonstrate empathy and meaning making rather than giving orders. The book focuses on how German Chancellor Angela Merkel and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern handled three kinds of crises: a gender-congruent crisis (COVID-19 pandemic), gender- neutral crises (natural disasters), and gender-incongruent crisis (nationalist terrorist attacks). These primary case studies are supplemented with chapters about Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Ebola epidemic), Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (27/F earthquake), and British Prime minister Theresa May (Manchester Stadium bombing). Most importantly, we show that women leaders can be perceived positively in a time of crisis when they communicate in line with gendered expectations. Panelists will assess these claims and discuss avenues for future research based on the book.

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Comments from Christina Xydias	View Paper Details
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