Former U.S. President (and current parallel-reality-coping-mechanism-president-of-everywhere) Barack Obama says the world would be a better place if women ran it, reports the BBC.
“I’m absolutely confident that for two years if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything,” said Obama during a private speaking event for 4,500 people in Singapore on Monday, according to the BBC.
“There would be less war, kids would be better taken care of and there would be a general improvement in living standards and outcomes,” he added, according to Singapore’s Today.
Related on The Swaddle:
Women In Power Scare Us More Than We Will Openly Admit
Obama speaks truth, not just platitudes. Women outscore men on most metrics of leadership, and research has shown more women in government reduces corruption. Several studies have shown greater benefits to constituents who elect a woman representative. In India, greater economic development and completed infrastructure projects are more likely in constituencies with women representatives. In other countries, women’s greater involvement in governance has been linked to boosts in education and public health.
“If you look at the world and look at the problems, it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way,” Obama said, per BBC. (*cough* climate change *cough*) “They cling to power, they are insecure, they have outdated ideas and the energy and fresh vision and new approaches are squashed,” he said, according to Today. “Now women, I just want you to know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you’re better than us [men].”
Given recent events at home and abroad, it’s hard not to agree. Women leaders like Finland’s Sanna Marin, Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde, and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern might be the only thing that can save us.
