Leading in a man’s world

This week, South2North meets two world leaders who are challenging leadership stereotypes.

Joining us from Washington DC, is the former French finance minister and also the first female head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, who was recently described by Forbes Magazine as the 8th most powerful woman in the world.

“It’s still a little bit unusual to have a woman in the financial world which is essentially male-dominated. But I would hope that by doing as good a job as I can irrespective of whether I’m a woman or not, I can phase in a time when my successors if they are female can just be regarded as doing a good job and the gender aspect of it will be irrelevant. I think it is still a bit relevant and there is an element of discrimination for a portion of your life and your career which you have to cope with, deal with and overcome. And after that, that element becomes eventually a benefit that you can draw from in a respectful and dignified manner as well,” she says.

One of the areas of life worldwide where women have struggled to be treated equally is religion of course.

In October this year, the Church of England voted controversially not to allow women bishops to be ordained. There is talk now that that decision may be reviewed but in the meantime, in Southern Africa we have led the way.

A few days after the Church of England’s decision, the church’s Southern Africa body consecrated its first female bishop, Ellinah Wamukoya. We talk to her about the challenges facing her.