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Why are female politicians still taken less seriously?

While some may see equality as a see-saw, how can closing the authority gap benefit everyone?


Alona Ferber, senior editor at the New Statesman, is joined by Mary Ann Seighart, journalist, former assistant editor of The Times, visiting professor at Kings College London and author of The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it.

One of the things that shocked Mary Ann Seighart most from writing this book was that even the most senior, successful, authoritative women are taken less seriously. Even being president of a country doesn’t insulate women from the authority gap. Why is this? And, while some may see equality as a see-saw, how can closing the authority gap benefit everyone?


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