Obama admits the world would be a 'better place' if women were in charge

And we don't disagree...

Words by Tala Ghannam

Former leader of the free world Barack Obama caused a stir on Monday after sharing his belief that women would make 'indisputably better' world leaders than men.

The statement was made while Obama was attending a private conference in Singapore, where issues such as political polarisation, climate change and the rise of social media were also addressed.

Reflecting on the global challenges we face today, Obama claimed he had often wondered what a world run by women would look like whilst he was in office.

“Now women, I just want you know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you’re better than us [men]”

“There would be less war, kids would be better taken care of, and there would be a general improvement on living standards and outcomes”

As Obama's comments were celebrated with a warm round of applause from the audience, he continued by expressing that many of the world’s problems were caused by men holding onto power, and that current issues in the world usually stem from these “old people, usually men, not getting out the way”

Obama has long been an advocate for women in leadership, after taking to the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture back in 2018 to plead: “Women in particular…I want you to get more involved…men have been getting on my nerves lately.”

It's clear Obama wants to see more women being involved in social movements, and we think it is fair to say that 2019 has been a great year for inspiring women all over the world, this includes the likes of climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Since the end of Obama’s presidency (2009-2017), he and his former first Lady Michelle Obama set up the Obama Foundation, which aims to promote women’s education and leadership.

They have recently been touring Asia hosting separate events in relation to the foundation aiming to relay the importance of women in power and education.