The world is in 2018 right now and this means that we’re constantly working towards a much more progressive and brighter future, even though the recent incidents don’t state the same. However, it’s true. While one gender of the world is still trying hard to make their voice heard, there are some people of the same gender who are constantly trying to make the world a better place.
One of such women in New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Ardern is a 37-year-old single woman who was sworn into office in October, last year.
Her swearing-in alone generated a lot of news around the media, due to her being a woman that too 37, which could be considered one of the youngest.
On Friday, Ardern announced something historic, she announced her pregnancy through the great social media, followed by a press conference. Now, it’s interesting to note over here that Ardern is having a baby with a man she’s not married to while being the leader of a country, something the world is not too familiar with. This single thought is almost too progressive for some people, yet groundbreaking for a lot of women.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she was 5 months pregnant with her partner, Clarke Gayford, and was due in June. She even went on to say that she has planned to stay in office by June and then take her six-week maternity leave. Over the course of her absence, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters would run the country. And, at the end of her leave she will resume “all Prime Ministerial duties.”
In her pregnancy announcement, PM Ardern stated, “Clarke and I are really excited that in June our team will expand from two to three and that we’ll be joining the many parents out there who wear two hats. I’ll be prime minister and a mum, and Clarke will be ‘the first man of fishing’ and stay at home dad. I think it’s fair to say that this will be a wee one that a village will raise, but we couldn’t be more excited.”
Jacinda Ardern on Twitter
We thought 2017 was a big year! This year we’ll join the many parents who wear two hats. I’ll be PM & a mum while Clarke will be “first man of fishing” & stay at home dad. There will be lots of questions (I can assure you we have a plan all ready to go!)
Even though this is such a great step and might even be considered a first, it’s not. In 1990, 28 years before PM Ardern announced her pregnancy, Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, gave birth to a daughter while running the country. This was said to be a first for an elected world leader.
Janina Matthewson on Twitter
NZ’s prime minister is having a baby with a man she’s not married to and he’s going to be a stay at home dad while she runs the country. WELCOME TO 2018, MOTHERFUCKERS.
Since the news has been out, various leaders from different parties in New Zealand are congratulating the Prime Minister. The Green Party leader, James Shaw congratulated the couple and said, “That a woman can be the prime minister of New Zealand and choose to have a family while in the office says a lot about the kind of country we are and that we can be – modern, progressive, inclusive, and equal. For that reason I know this announcement will be significant for many women, in particular, and that all New Zealanders will share in the prime minister’s joy today.”
In a press conference, after the announcement, Prime Minister Ardern was asked by a reporter how she had managed putting together a government while suffering from morning sickness, she replied, “it’s just what ladies do”.
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