Kamala Harris and the State of Female Leadership in Europe

Kamala Harris and the Landscape of Female Leadership in Europe

This week, Kamala Harris formally accepted her presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention, marking a significant moment in history. Should she succeed in the upcoming election in November, she would become the first female president of the United States. This milestone raises a pertinent question: how does Europe measure up when it comes to female leadership?

Despite strides towards equality, women remain a minority in leadership positions across the continent. Out of 50 European countries, only 15 have appointed a female prime minister or head of state, excluding monarchs. Within the European Union, the number drops to just seven female leaders. Remarkably, three of the EU’s highest-ranking positions are held by women: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.

The Balkans have recently witnessed a surge in female leadership, with Slovenia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Greece all boasting female presidents at this time. Additionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina is led by a woman as prime minister. However, she has only four other female counterparts in Europe: Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Evika Siliņa of Latvia, and Ingrida Šimonytė of Lithuania.

What do these women have in common?

The majority of these female leaders share a common background in law or legal studies. For instance, Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar is an attorney who notably represented Melania Trump in various legal disputes regarding the unauthorized use of her image for commercial products. North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is a respected law professor, while Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani boasts a strong academic background in legal studies. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has a distinguished career as a judge, and Bosnia’s Prime Minister Borjana Krišto holds a law degree as well. Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Siliņa also previously practiced law.

The only leaders among them without a legal background are Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Lithuania’s Ingrida Šimonytė. Nevertheless, all of them have pursued higher education, with the exception of Giorgia Meloni.

Which European countries have had at least one female leader?

While women have not dominated leadership roles, several have made history as prime ministers or heads of state across Europe. Notably, many European countries have experienced female leadership at some point, even when monarchs are excluded. Currently, only 15 countries in Europe have never had an elected female leader in the capacity of prime minister or head of state. These countries are:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Cyprus
• The Czech Republic
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• The Netherlands
• Russia
• Spain
• The Vatican

Among these, four are EU member states: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Spain.

What’s the share of female MPs in European parliaments?

Finland was a pioneer in this regard, being the first European nation to elect women to its parliament back in 1907, followed closely by Norway, Estonia, Russia, and Ukraine. The last to do so were San Marino in 1974, Andorra in 1984, and Liechtenstein in 1986. Despite these advancements, women continue to be underrepresented in the parliaments of all European countries, with the exception of Andorra, where gender representation stands at a balanced 50/50.

Scandinavia leads the way in female parliamentary representation, with Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway consistently ranking among the top countries in this regard. In terms of the larger European nations, Spain shows the most equitable representation among the “big five,” followed closely by the United Kingdom, which recently achieved the highest number and proportion of female MPs ever recorded in its history during the latest general election.