Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism | CFR Education – Council on Foreign Relations

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Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism explores the connections between the current wave of democratic backsliding and the stalling of women’s political leadership after decades of steady gains. Despite the challenging headwinds, many women who have been elected as presidents and prime ministers have forged successful policies to foster resilience at home and fend off aggression from abroad. Many have also championed international reforms to improve global governance, access to finance, and other systemic solutions. Their track records and governing formulas provide valuable lessons for other aspiring leaders and show that women are equally capable of serving at the helm of government.
Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism explains how the global democratic crisis is entwined with the backlash against women in politics—and how women leaders are fighting back against misogynistic authoritarianism and weaponized digital attacks to create more resilient democracies.  
Through exclusive interviews, Linda Robinson tells the powerful stories of the women on the frontlines of the battle between democracy and authoritarianism. Analysis of examples from around the world shows how these remarkable leaders have confronted existential threats by strengthening their countries, expanding gender equality, and promoting policies that benefit all. Tsai Ing-wen crafted a strategy to defend Taiwan from Chinese aggression while advancing social reforms. Estonia’s Kaja Kallas and Moldova’s Maia Sandu fought Russian hybrid warfare by pursuing European integration. Balkan leaders Vjosa Osmani and Nataša Pirc Musar bolstered their democracies against Serbian and Russian destabilization and internal strife. Mia Mottley of Barbados became a global champion for climate justice, following the successful rescue of her country from the twin challenges of mounting debt and climate damage. Robinson analyzes the hard-won lessons of these and other recent leaders—including New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Finland’s Sanna Marin, and Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands. This book provides a set of governing formulas and systemic reforms to shore up democracy for countries—including the United States—facing existential threats.  
This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in the following disciplines:
For undergraduate and graduate courses in Political Science/Comparative Politics/ International Relations: 
For undergraduate and graduate courses in Conflict Resolution/National Security:
For undergraduate and graduate courses in Feminist, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: 
For undergraduate and graduate courses in Political Science/Comparative Politics/ International Relations: 
For undergraduate and graduate courses in Feminist, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies:
“Freedom in the World 2026,” Freedom House 
Democracy Report 2026: “Unraveling The Democratic Era?,” V-DEM. 
Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women, “Women in Politics: 2026,” 2026. 
“Global Gender Gap Report 2025,” World Economic Forum, June 11, 2025. 
Agostina Bergia; Ashley Weinbergm, “When the public turns hostile: Political violence against parliamentarians,” Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2026. 
“2023 Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI),” UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), 2023. 
Sanna Marin, Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead (Scribner, 2024). 
Jacinda Ardern, A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir (New York: Crown, 2026). 
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.
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