The presence of women in the international arena continues to be a concerning phenomenon among the world’s leading powers. Across centuries and differentiating cultural values, a woman’s right to be seen has been limited to the borders of domesticality. Her voice and body are not meant for public attention, nor are they intended to convey the message of equality. Despite the aggression towards women and their roles in leadership, female based reigns have become more common, and evidently effective. From Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, to Myriam Spiteri Devon of Malta, and now Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae.
Administrators in power have long feared the presence of a woman in the international system and governmental institutions. However, change is inevitable and regardless of whether a woman’s leadership is accepted or not, the never-ending cycle of power continues to unfold in the face of increasingly complex social systems.
Gender equality has a long history and timeline that differs from one country to another. There have been numerous ‘waves’ of movements across the West, and matters of gender equality have certainly not ceased. As the theoretical arguments for an equal society have been challenged for a long time, some countries showed the opposite. North Korea recognized the law of gender equality back in 1946, while Europe inherited it in the treaty of Rome in 1957, and the U.S. who started the movement adopted the law later between the 1960’s and 70’s. As surprising as this may seem, the gap between executing the law of equality through substantive means or allowing it to settle through symbolic barriers tends to widen as time goes by.
Recently, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un surprised the world when introducing his daughter to the authority of the country first, and the world second. As a country that is known for its fierce leadership and policies, the position of women within the government was not a possibility to hold. However, Kim Jong Un’s gesture and decision to bring his “most beloved” daughter into the public and military field is a sign that the next generation of governance will hold space for women to lead. And that might as well start with his daughter.
In the West, women have held political positions, but never has a woman been a president running a country. It’s a struggle and predisposition that needs to be resolved. Despite the rise of gender equality and female leadership, the prospect of a female leader is not a norm that the world is willing to accept fondly. Especially in the U.S. and Europe, where women leaders have been continuously attacked regardless of the milestones they accomplished and the prosperity that their rule has brought. As the first female Vice President in American history, Kamala Harris has had a share of personal and political attacks. Mainstream news outlets and social media platforms have reported on her failure and the lack of accountability in her administration. Making her look like a political villain, just because she’s a woman. Regardless of it all, she has had a very successful career journey; from general attorney, a U.S. senator, all the way to Vice Presidency, yet this has all been overlooked and undermined due to her anatomical elements as a female.
Italy and Japan faced the same thing with their first elected female Prime Ministers. Giorgia Meloni and Sanae Takaichi were the targets of every political party and news agency who considered them threats, stemming from this ideal of feminine domesticity. Yet, with both first female Prime Ministers of Italy and Japan, it is hard for others who believe in a patriarchal political system to accept having a woman taking action in a position that was always held and saved for men
No one can change the different mindsets and beliefs of people, and despite the fact that women are leading and gaining more political influence, their role is maintained to be symbolic of female power rather than substantive gender equality where women are meant to be seen and heard. And not only seen without the authority to act on the purpose of being able to lead.
Although from a political perspective, North Korea is not considered to be ahead with gender equality compared to the West, Kim Jung Un is making a point of reconsidering the status of North Korea’s gender equality policy. An act that is seen to be a rebellious move and an attempt to show the West that the ones who fought for equality are not acting upon it. Whereas an authoritarian regime that has been condemned for every action and decision, is taking the route of having their first female leader.
Throughout history, gender equality was a major concern in the West, and it still is. However, social media tends to favour the Western policies for women advocacy, whilst countries like North Korea are considered restrictive. Nowadays, Google searches for gender inequality would immediately show links and articles about women in the West and how their rights continue to be violated. This leaves readers in a loophole of whether they misread the signs between gender equality in a substantive and symbolic representation. In the West, female leadership is based on a limited authority which represents a symbolic power of the role and how they view gender equality to international onlookers. Whereas, to a surprising degree, North Korea is not only showcasing the symbolic, but also the substantive power of a woman’s role and future leadership.
Kim Jong Un introducing his daughter to the government proves female leadership is not a distant ideal, but a meaningful reality. Not only will female leadership in North Korea change the picture of how the world views the country, but it will also nudge the West to act on what they fought for in the past.
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