COVID-19 lets female leaders shine - Punjabi

RADIO - Red FM 93.1 Punjabi Morning - Vancouver, 20/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, Punjabi

Summary Translation: Harjinder Thind - This pandemic caused immense sorrow - people got sick and died. However, some good things also happened like in relation to the environment and spending time with family. This has been a great time to boost the contribution and image of women in society. Women are included only in small numbers in the decisions made in board rooms. Boardrooms are usually predominated by middle-aged balding men. Now you will see that, since Prime Minister Trudeau made the first move towards gender balance, the number of women in boardrooms is increasing. During this COVID-19 crisis, women have shined. Of the 14 top healthcare officers, seven are women and they have done their job wonderfully. While they have shown excellent leadership, they also did not shy away from showing their emotions. Two names are worth mentioning here. One of them is Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and the other is BC's Dr. Bonnie Henry. When at the height of difficulty Ontario's care homes were overwhelmed with death, Theresa Tam, despite criticism, stood her ground with a steely voice, keeping her emotions in control - even a man may not have been able to do so. On the other hand when Dr. Bonnie Henry appealed to people to maintain a distance of six feet with tears in her eyes, her request was adhered to in a way that maybe could not have been achieved even with a martial law in place. Dr. Bonnie Henry's tears were not a symbol of her weakness but a symbol of her passion with which she maintained firmness. Now, in the post-corona world the value of female leadership may increase. The expression of emotions by leaders should not be deemed their weakness. People will demand more such female leaders and male leaders who do not hide their true emotions from people. We congratulate these female leaders.