Gender in the time of COVID-19: Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities

Leah C. Windsor; Gina Yannitell Reinhardt; Alistair J. Windsor; Robert Ostergard; Susan Allen; Courtney Burns; Jarod Giger; Reed Wood

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244531

Gender in the time of COVID-19: Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities

Leah C. Windsor
, Gina Yannitell Reinhardt
, Alistair J. Windsor
, Robert Ostergard
, Susan Allen
, Courtney Burns
, Jarod Giger
, Reed Wood

College of Social Work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this paper we explore whether countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men. Media and public health officials have lauded the perceived gender-related influence on policies and strategies for reducing the deleterious effects of the pandemic. We examine this proposition by analyzing COVID-19-related deaths globally across countries led by men and women. While we find some limited support for lower reported fatality rates in countries led by women, they are not statistically significant. Country cultural values offer more substantive explanation for COVID-19 outcomes. We offer several potential explanations for the pervasive perception that countries led by women have fared better during the pandemic, including data selection bias and Western media bias that amplified the successes of women leaders in OECD countries.

Original language	English
Article number	e0244531
Journal	PLoS ONE
Volume	15
Issue number	12 December 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244531
State	Published - Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Windsor et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General

Access to Document

10.1371/journal.pone.0244531

Cite this

@article{299522eef223420ebbfc513c238e4d2e,

title = "Gender in the time of COVID-19: Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities",

abstract = "In this paper we explore whether countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men. Media and public health officials have lauded the perceived gender-related influence on policies and strategies for reducing the deleterious effects of the pandemic. We examine this proposition by analyzing COVID-19-related deaths globally across countries led by men and women. While we find some limited support for lower reported fatality rates in countries led by women, they are not statistically significant. Country cultural values offer more substantive explanation for COVID-19 outcomes. We offer several potential explanations for the pervasive perception that countries led by women have fared better during the pandemic, including data selection bias and Western media bias that amplified the successes of women leaders in OECD countries.",

author = "Windsor, \{Leah C.\} and Reinhardt, \{Gina Yannitell\} and Windsor, \{Alistair J.\} and Robert Ostergard and Susan Allen and Courtney Burns and Jarod Giger and Reed Wood",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Windsor et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.",

year = "2020",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0244531",

language = "English",

volume = "15",

number = "12 December 2020",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Gender in the time of COVID-19

T2 - Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities

AU - Windsor, Leah C.

AU - Reinhardt, Gina Yannitell

AU - Windsor, Alistair J.

AU - Ostergard, Robert

AU - Allen, Susan

AU - Burns, Courtney

AU - Giger, Jarod

AU - Wood, Reed

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Windsor et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

PY - 2020/12

Y1 - 2020/12

N2 - In this paper we explore whether countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men. Media and public health officials have lauded the perceived gender-related influence on policies and strategies for reducing the deleterious effects of the pandemic. We examine this proposition by analyzing COVID-19-related deaths globally across countries led by men and women. While we find some limited support for lower reported fatality rates in countries led by women, they are not statistically significant. Country cultural values offer more substantive explanation for COVID-19 outcomes. We offer several potential explanations for the pervasive perception that countries led by women have fared better during the pandemic, including data selection bias and Western media bias that amplified the successes of women leaders in OECD countries.

AB - In this paper we explore whether countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men. Media and public health officials have lauded the perceived gender-related influence on policies and strategies for reducing the deleterious effects of the pandemic. We examine this proposition by analyzing COVID-19-related deaths globally across countries led by men and women. While we find some limited support for lower reported fatality rates in countries led by women, they are not statistically significant. Country cultural values offer more substantive explanation for COVID-19 outcomes. We offer several potential explanations for the pervasive perception that countries led by women have fared better during the pandemic, including data selection bias and Western media bias that amplified the successes of women leaders in OECD countries.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85099113052

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85099113052#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0244531

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0244531

M3 - Article

C2 - 33382791

AN - SCOPUS:85099113052

SN - 1932-6203

VL - 15

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

IS - 12 December 2020

M1 - e0244531

ER -

Gender in the time of COVID-19: Evaluating national leadership and COVID-19 fatalities

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this