Women’s empowerment is one of the main pillars of Jordan’s comprehensive modernization process led by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein at the political, economic and administrative levels. At the legislative level, the Kingdom launched an extensive review process which focused on ending discrimination and violence against women and enhancing their participation in public and private spheres, in alignment with the principles of human rights. Constitutional amendments in 2022 cemented w

Despite making strides toward gender equality, women still remain underrepresented in leadership positions in most countries, particularly in diplomacy and politics. In marking International Women’s Day, The Korea Herald presents a special feature exploring the persistent gender gap through the voices of female ambassadors serving in Seoul. Their experiences, drawn from diverse cultural and political backgrounds, shed light on both the progress made and the challenges that remain in advancing wo

Q. What challenges have you faced as a female ambassador, and how have you overcome them? Do you believe female representation in diplomacy and politics has improved globally? I’m fortunate to represent New Zealand, a country with a strong tradition of female leadership and a commitment to gender equality. Nevertheless, I believe there remain challenges particular to women in fields traditionally dominated by men. It takes time for change to come through! In my case, I believe I have seen change

International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a call to action. Switzerland, too, strives to make gender equality an ongoing priority, leveraging its linguistic, cultural and political diversity as core strengths. Despite progress, challenges remain. The Economist’s Glass Ceiling Index ranks Switzerland near the bottom among OECD countries, alongside South Korea. While structural changes have been made, true equality also requires cultural and institutional change. In 2021, the Swiss Feder

March 8th is an emblematic date that remembers the historical struggles of women for their rights and continues to be a day of vindication and visibility of gender equality throughout the world. Also, it reminds us that this is a universal crusade, and we must act collectively perhaps the distance. On this significant day, we pay tribute to all women who have fought for their rights throughout history, as well as those who continue to fight for a more just and equitable world for all. Only throu

Q. What challenges have you faced as a female ambassador, and how have you overcome them? Do you believe female representation in diplomacy and politics has improved globally? The landscape of diplomacy is changing, with more women taking leadership roles in global affairs. However, despite progress, women in diplomacy still face subtle biases, often rooted in traditional expectations. As a female diplomat, I have experienced these challenges firsthand, but I have also learned that professionali

Q. What challenges have you faced as a female ambassador, and how have you overcome them? Do you believe female representation in diplomacy and politics has improved globally? As a mom of three children and as a career woman, it was not easy to balance family life and work. However, the European Union provided good infrastructure so I could choose to continue my career. Without support systems, such as kindergarten, afterschool classes, it would have been very challenging for me to continue choo

Q. What challenges have you faced as a female ambassador, and how have you overcome them? Do you believe female representation in diplomacy and politics has improved globally? The major challenges I have faced have, like many other senior managers and executives, come trying to balance obligations at home and in the professional context. This is where societal changes, for all of us, are most needed in terms of sharing our caregiving responsibilities and roles. This relates to raising children b

Q. What challenges have you faced as a female Ambassador, and how have you overcome them? Do you believe female representation in diplomacy and politics has improved globally? As a woman and as a public servant, one of my regular activities is to read the findings of the annual WEF Global Gender Gap Index, the longest-running tracking index for closing the gender gap globally across critical areas of women's engagement and is very informative for the work that I do as a diplomat. Some of the sta