‘A very welcome thing’: New Zealand cabinet reaches gender parity for first time
GuardianApr 11, 2023
New Zealand has reached gender parity in its government cabinet for the first time in history, with women being the majority in the executive branch when the ministers outside the cabinet are included.
This comes as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who has entered office this year to replace the country's third female leader, Jacinda Ardern, announced on Tuesday a cabinet reshuffle.
New Zealand has reached another great milestone in gender equality as its government cabinet table now closely represents the population, similar to what was achieved in parliament in this parliamentary term following the diversity victory in the 2020 general election. This is a necessary and welcomed step toward improving democracy in the country.
Curiously, the Hipkins government is being praised for reaching gender parity at cabinet when the Prime Minister himself has floundered in a sea of identity politics. Though allegedly promoting diversity and inclusion, the Labor Party has instead created divisions within the society and a culture of victimization in the country.
There's a 50% chance that half of world leaders will be women by April 2076, according to the Metaculus prediction community.