Former PresidentBarack Obamasaid Monday — not for the first time — that women were “indisputably better” as leaders than men and that many of the world’s problems come from old men “not getting out of the way.”
“Now women, I just want you to know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you’re better than us [men],” he said.
The former president, 58, has been in Asia for a string of Obama Foundation events, while former First LadyMichelle Obamavisited schoolsin VietnamwithTodayco-hostJenna Bush Hagerand actressJulia Roberts, promoting young women’s education.
The Obama Foundation
From left: President Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, participating in a Q&A session with global leaders in Malaysia last week.
When Obama was asked if he’d ever consider getting back into politics, the former U.S. leader noted the importance of knowing when to step back instead of continuing to hold on.
“If you look at the world and look at the problems it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way,” he said. “It is important for political leaders to try and remind themselves that you are there to do a job, but you are not there for life, you are not there in order to prop up your own sense of self importance or your own power.”
During a trip to France in 2017, Obama said “men seem to be having some problems these days” while speaking on “the importance of more focus on putting women in power.”
(In a nifty parallel, last week Finnish Prime MinisterSanna Marinbecame the youngest leader in the world at 34. She took over for ousted Prime Minister Antti Rinne.)
At a talk with his sister,Maya Soetoro-Ng, during an Obama Foundation leadership conference in Malaysia last week, President Obama said there were “still so many places where young women don’t have opportunity and their own parents don’t think they should get an education.”
He continued, “It turns out one of the best indicators of whether a country’s developed or not is: How does it educate its girls and how does it treat its women?”
source: people.com
