Iconic Women

FROM CEOS AND POLITICIANS TO HUMANITARIANS AND ATHLETES, WE PROFILE 27 EXTRAORDINARY TRAILBLAZERS CREATING MAJOR CHANGE IN 2020.

The politician

Jacinda Ardern

The 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Leader of the Labour Party has earned a profile well beyond that of any of her predecessors. Ardern was the world’s youngest female head of state when she was elected at just 37. But her commitment to equality and justice endured for decades, having joined the Labour Party when she was 17, encouraged by her politically active aunt.

A year ago, she saw the country through the deadliest attack in its modern history, when a white supremacist terrorist targeted two Christchurch mosques. Her compassion for New Zealand’s Muslim community in the face of the atrocity drew praise around the world, as did her rapid response in the form of introducing strict firearm regulations. At the end of 2019, she guided New Zealand through another catastrophe, the Whakaari/White Island eruption.

As one of the world’s most powerful women, Ardern’s leadership has made strides for gender equality. A self-described feminist, she’s made her voice heard on the global stage, having stood alongside other world leaders while also contending with misogynistic commentary. She was the second elected head of government to give birth while in office, and made history in 2018 when she brought her then three-month-old daughter Neve to the United Nations General Assembly. At the Assembly, Ardern drew yet more praise when she called for the #MeToo movement to become “We Too”, pledging to uplift women across the world and ensure that equality becomes a global movement.

The issues she’s pursued domestically – affordable housing, the support of the MaÌ„ori population and LGBTIQ+ rights – have also been critical in the fight for gender equality; across many minority groups, women are often hit harder by systemic disadvantage, and intersectionality is a major aspect of feminism.