Gender, Crisis, and Leadership: Natural Disasters in Germany, New Zealand, and Chile

What role do crises have on the already common perception that executive leadership is a masculine domain? We argue that crises provide opportunities for women presidents and prime ministers to exhibit their leadership capacity. These opportunities, however, are conditional. When crises produce gender role congruency for women leaders, their leadership is likely to be evaluated positively, enhancing their hold on political power. In contrast, crises can also create gender role incongruity for women leaders, exacerbating backlash and reinforcing the masculinization of executive office. To illustrate our claim, we examine the aftermath of three natural disasters: the 2021 Eifel floods in Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the 2019 White Island/ Whakaari volcano eruption in New Zealand, and devastating earthquakes in Chile under President Michelle Bachelet in 2010 and 2014. All of these disasters took a toll on human life and required responses by first responders, rebuilding, and policies to prevent recurrences. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, drawing on news reports, parliamentary debates, public opinion polls, and prime minister/ presidential statements, we show that natural disasters are challenging crises for women leaders and make gender role congruency difficult. Women presidents and prime ministers do not enjoy the same approval ratings bounce from natural disasters as they do in the wake of feminized health crises.