Do women leaders lead differently? And are women leaders necessarily better for women?

Exclusive to the Pathways to Politics Knowledge Hub, Carol Schwartz AO speaks with Dr Ramona Vijeyarasa about Ramona’s new book, The Woman President: Leadership, Law and Legacy for Women Based on Experiences from South and Southeast Asia.

Dr Ramona Vijeyarasa is Chancellor’s Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney and author of the Gender Legislative Index and The Woman President.

More about the book

Too much attention is paid to the absence of women leaders around the world rather than their presence, leaving a gap in our understanding of the difference women leaders make on the lives of fellow women. 

The Woman President presents a unique comparative study of women’s leadership and the law, offering new ways for understanding the impact of female presidential leadership on women’s everyday lives by analysing the legal legacies of four women presidents: Corazon Aquino (1986-1992), Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010), Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001-2004), and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (1994-2005).