Power has never protected women in leadership

Women leaders are pushing through violence, double standards and outdated norms

OpinionsMaria Paula Rojas Diaz — Published December 26, 2025 3 minutes

Women may now hold seats at political tables, but those tables were never designed for them, and the violence, scrutiny and hostility they face are not anomalies but symptoms of systems still shaped by exclusion.

In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum, celebrated as the nation’s first woman elected to the role, was sexually assaulted in broad daylight during a public event. 

The assault was shocking, but perhaps more alarming was how quickly some dismissed it as just another hazard of public life. Her experience exposes the ongoing physical vulnerability women leaders continue to face, as well as the troubling tendency to minimize violence against them as inevitable rather than unacceptable. Power does not insulate women from misogyny; in many cases, it makes them more visible targets.

Closer to home, Montreal’s women mayors navigate a political terrain that looks welcoming on paper but feels far less in practice. 

Their experiences show how the everyday labour of governing becomes gendered; from constant online harassment to double standards that shape expectations of tone, behaviour and even wardrobe. Their professionalism is evaluated alongside irrelevant criteria, sending the same persistent message: you can sit at the table, but don’t get too comfortable.

Globally, these patterns repeat. 

When former Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin was criticized not for policy decisions but for dancing at a private gathering, the backlash revealed the relentless moral surveillance imposed on women in power. Her behaviour, entirely ordinary among male counterparts, was treated as a test of her credibility. The subtext was unmistakable: a woman’s legitimacy is always on probation.

So, what does it take for women to thrive in such spaces? 

The unfortunate reality is that women often need to be exceptional simply to be considered adequate. They must anticipate criticism that men never face, maintain a delicate balance between strength and likability and navigate a political environment where missteps are magnified, all while confronting forces that have nothing to do with their actual leadership abilities. Yet progress, while uneven, is real. 

More women are entering politics, winning elections and redefining what leadership looks like. Their presence is not symbolic; it reshapes priorities, expands representation and challenges outdated norms. 

But progress should not be confused with completion. Representation alone does not guarantee safety, respect or equitable treatment.

If we want women in leadership to be the norm rather than the exception, change must extend beyond individual women’s resilience. 

Media institutions must examine how they frame women leaders. Governments need stronger protections against harassment, online and offline, with real consequences for those who perpetrate it. Political parties must create safer, more accountable environments, not just diverse candidate lists. And as citizens, we have to confront the biases, conscious or not, that shape our expectations of women who seek power. The stakes are clear: if these systems remain unchanged, we risk losing capable leaders long before they are allowed to lead.

There may be space at the table now, but the work ahead lies in ensuring that women do not have to fight for every inch of it.

The barrier is no longer entry. It’s endurance.