Former United States President Barack Obama has said he believes governments around the world would perform better if women were given the opportunity to lead for two years.
Obama made the remarks during a conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at Salem State University in Massachusetts on Monday. A clip of the discussion was later shared by C-SPAN on Friday and has since circulated online.
Speaking about leadership and the need to give younger generations opportunities to occupy influential positions, Obama recalled an idea he had while serving as president.
He said he had sometimes imagined what would happen if women were placed in charge of every government for two years and the results were assessed afterward.
Obama said he did not believe such a change would make governments perfect, but he was confident that things would improve.
The former president expressed a similar view in 2019 during a leadership event in Singapore, where he said countries could see improvements if women were given the opportunity to lead them for two years.
During the Salem State discussion, Obama also addressed political divisions in the United States. He said the level of division among Americans was not as deep as political discourse and the media might suggest.
According to him, people across the country were still capable of treating one another with respect despite political differences.
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