Prime minister shows the world how it’s done
Jacinda Ardern is just another woman who gave birth. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave birth on a global stage, while holding the top job in the country.
Nothing about this is amazing, and everything is.
There’s a reason the whole world is watching. There’s a reason news organisations ran live streams of reporters outside Auckland City Hospital, asking hapless passersby what they thought of the birth. There’s a reason almost everyone I know was glued to the updates, or guessing baby names, or holding their abdomens in ghost pain. (It’s a lie. You never forget.)
That reason is this; because it’s momentous. Because the fact we have a woman leader who is also a new mother is groundbreaking, and it’s something we should all be incredibly proud of.
Ardern is the second elected prime minister in history to give birth while in office, and the first in 30 years. She will be the first ever to take maternity leave, which in New Zealand will soon be 26 paid weeks. (Ardern will take six.)
Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that we, as a nation, have pushed the boundaries and created an environment where this can happen. That’s 4.2 million godparents for you, little pe¯ pi.
As for why it matters; here’s the short version. Ingrained societal norms would have us all squeeze into ‘‘woman’’- or ‘‘man’’-shaped boxes, filled with activities, colours, books, clothes, toys, jobs and sports that align with these very binary definitions of gender. Girls wear pink and play with
We, as a nation, have pushed the boundaries and created an environment where this can happen.
dolls, boys like blue and trucks.
As well as being boring, these gendered ideas around how we should think and act make life more difficult for all of us. It’s not yet normal for a mother to have a high-powered job, or for a father to be a stay-at-home dad.
So when the prime minister has a baby and treats it like it ain’t no thing – as if every world leader gets elected, gets pregnant, tells sexist shock jocks to back off, is incredibly gracious and accommodating of all the intrusive questions and stomach pats, and works right up to the birth – it is a big deal. When her partner Clarke Gayford is excited about being a stay-at-home dad, it’s equally inspirational.
It sets a precedent. It normalises powerful women and nurturing, caring men. It decimates outdated ideals of where a mother ‘‘should’’ be – at home, with the children, while dad earns the money. It smashes those boring boxes and makes room for new shapes, new ways we can all live our lives.
It creates a conversation about pregnancy, and motherhood, and what’s expected, and what sucks. It means we are thinking and talking about how workplaces and attitudes can be improved.
One last thing – apart from a few naysayers, New Zealand’s reaction to its prime minister’s pregnancy has basically been a collective ‘‘Sweet as’’. As a country, we’re mostly cool with this, which suggests we’re well on our way to true equality. I realise I’m getting carried away here, but hell, it’s a happy time. Cheers, everyone!