Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin asked if they met because of their age - The Washington Post

The 2 said they had discussed their countries’ responses to Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and their concerns astir a crackdown connected protesters successful Iran. They highlighted their countries’ shared values, including “multilateralism and a rules-based planetary order,” Ardern said, portion Marin noted that “Finland and New Zealand number among the oldest democracies successful the world.”

But a newsman zoomed successful connected what helium seemed to deliberation was the astir important happening Ardern, 42, and Marin, 37, person successful common. “A batch of radical volition beryllium wondering: ‘Are you 2 gathering conscionable due to the fact that you’re akin successful property and person got a batch of communal worldly determination — erstwhile you got into authorities and worldly — oregon tin Kiwis really expect to spot much deals betwixt our 2 countries down the line?” the newsman from New Zealand vigor presumption Newstalk ZB asked.

Ardern, looking somewhat incredulous, replied: “I wonderment whether oregon not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met due to the fact that they were of akin age,” referring to New Zealand’s erstwhile premier curate who was calved 5 days aft the erstwhile U.S. president.

“We of people person a higher proportionality of men successful politics, it’s reality. Because 2 women meet, it’s not simply due to the fact that of their gender,” Ardern said. Shen past described the commercialized relations and economical opportunities betwixt the 2 countries, adding: “It’s our occupation to further it, careless of our gender.”

Meanwhile, Marin said with a laugh: “We are gathering due to the fact that we are premier ministers, of people … we person a batch of things successful common, but besides a batch of things wherever we tin bash overmuch much together.” She added that, successful particular, she wanted to trim her country’s dependence connected “authoritarian countries” erstwhile it came to exertion and earthy resources.

The question astir property and sex drew disapproval successful section media outlets, wherever it was described arsenic “not-so-subtle sexism” and “casual sexism.” The Guardian, meanwhile, soon enactment unneurotic a video titled: “The galore times Jacinda Ardern has faced sexist questions from reporters.”

Both leaders person dealt with an inordinate magnitude of questioning focused connected their property and sex successful the past.

Meanwhile, Marin was heavy criticized by governmental opponents aft videos emerged of the Finnish person partying with her friends astatine a backstage event. Critics described her arsenic unprofessional — adjacent arsenic others rallied to enactment her and likened it to older antheral politicians playing golf.

Women stay underrepresented successful politics, with conscionable 28 countries represented by elected pistillate leaders, according to U.N. Women figures from September. “At the existent rate, sex equality successful the highest positions of powerfulness volition not beryllium reached for different 130 years,” the U.N. enactment added.

In what could beryllium a motion of the rarity of seeing 2 pistillate satellite leaders unneurotic onstage, galore of the different reporters’ questions astatine Wednesday’s quality league besides focused connected Ardern and Marin’s gender.

Reporters asked whether they had considered however to beryllium relation models for different women, whether young pistillate leaders had to enactment harder to debar disapproval of their idiosyncratic lives, and however Marin felt astir being described arsenic Finland’s “party premier minister” successful the New Zealand press.

“It’s precise bully that we person escaped media, that we person the captious show connected politicians,” Marin said. However, she added, “I besides privation to amusement an example, that antithetic kinds of radical tin beryllium politicians. … I deliberation it’s precise important that we tin besides amusement the youngest of generations that you tin beryllium yourself and inactive prosecute successful politics.”