Women Leaders Are Caring & Nurturing? Says Who?

The myth is disproved, by Italy's PM-to-be Meloni, UK's Truss, France's Le Pen, Myanmar's Suu Kyi & others

- Rashmee Roshan Lall

Italy's general election will likely result in its first woman PM. And she shows no sign of wanting to remake the country's politics in the emollient and nurturing fashion we are supposed to expect of a woman.

Giorgia Meloni, a pint-sized, 45-year-old set to lead Italy's most right-wing government since Mussolini's underlines an unpleasant reality. Despite stereotypical expectations that they are more moderate, compassionate and sensitive, women politicians often speak much the same language as men.

Lost list of macho females

 There is a lengthening list of female leaders from across the world whose ascent hasn't automatically translated into the sort of healing techniques that allow their people to breathe mindfully and focus on holistic living practices.

Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was pretty flinty in her approach to the Rohingyas. No one would describe Marine le Pen, leader of France's anti-immigrant party, as empathetic. Liz Truss, Britain's PM for barely three weeks, is displaying extreme ideological rigidity in adopting Thatcher's taxcutting and deregulation model, even though she risks making public finances unsustainable.

And now, there is Italy's Meloni, who stands to break the political glass ceiling in a still-macho country while simultaneously ushering in the kind of politics the world hoped Italy had left behind with Mussolini.