There has been much speculation on why many women leaders have handled the crisis so well. Not only have they led the world in containing – and possibly eliminating – the virus through early lockdowns, travel restrictions, and widespread testing and contact tracing, they have demonstrated resolve, empathy, and a strong commitment to science-based straight talk. Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen acted early and decisively, introducing 124 measures to contain the virus and protect public health and limiting country’s current COVID-19 death toll to six. Angela Merkel has calmly emphasized the severity of the virus in her public addresses, cautioning Germans that despite plans to re-open, the nation was still very much “ at the beginning .” New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern has won high praise for her Facebook Live chats , in which she outlines government policy while juggling her own family caregiving responsibilities, and for injecting a dose of humor and compassion in the crisis by deeming the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy “essential workers.”