There have been too few women in leadership because they haven't

Hear the words of Gretchen Whitmer, spoken with clarity and conviction: “There have been too few women in leadership because they haven’t had the opportunities.” In this simple yet piercing truth lies the story of centuries, in which half of humanity has been held back not by lack of ability, nor by lack of courage, but by walls of exclusion, by doors locked to them, by chances denied. The cry is not that women are unfit to lead, but that they have been denied the fields where their leadership might bloom.

The ancients themselves give witness. In Greece, the voices of women were silenced in the assembly, yet we still remember Aspasia, companion of Pericles, whose wisdom influenced the statesman and whose thought stirred the philosophers. In Rome, Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi, raised sons who shook the Republic with reforms, yet she herself could not hold office. Their greatness shows us the truth of Whitmer’s words: when denied opportunity, women’s gifts must flow in hidden channels, but when allowed the stage, they change the course of nations.

History is rich with examples of what happens when women finally break through the walls. Consider Elizabeth I of England, who, given the throne in an age of doubt and turmoil, led her nation into a golden era of art, discovery, and stability. Or think of the American suffragists—Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth—who demanded the vote not for themselves alone but for generations unborn. When they claimed opportunity, they unlocked the leadership of countless women after them.

Whitmer’s words also remind us of the hidden cost of lost opportunity. How many leaders, thinkers, and healers were never known because they were never given the chance? How many sciences advanced more slowly, how many communities suffered longer, how many nations stumbled because the wisdom of women was left untapped? Denial of opportunity is not only an injustice to the individual, but a wound upon the whole people. To silence half the voices of humanity is to walk forward with only one leg.

But the tide has begun to turn. Around the world, women have risen to high office—Angela Merkel guiding Germany through storms, Jacinda Ardern leading New Zealand with compassion, Kamala Harris breaking barriers as Vice President of the United States. These are not exceptions of talent; they are examples of what happens when opportunity is finally aligned with ability. Whitmer’s words remind us that the scarcity of women in leadership has never been natural, but manufactured by barriers that can, and must, be torn down.

The lesson for us, O listener, is clear: wherever you labor, seek to widen opportunity. If you are a leader, open the way for others, especially for women whose voices have too long been silenced. If you are a teacher, encourage your students to see their worth and their potential, no matter their gender. If you are a citizen, support laws and institutions that make equality not a dream but a reality. For only when opportunity is shared can leadership reflect the true breadth and strength of the people.

Thus let Gretchen Whitmer’s words endure as a call to action: the shortage of women in leadership is not a matter of ability, but of access. Remove the barriers, grant the opportunities, and women will lead with the same vision, power, and wisdom as men have throughout history. And when leadership is shared equally, the world itself will grow stronger, fairer, and more whole.