Careering to an inevitable conclusion - Two women under pressure

AT a moment when the air crackles with indignation over the gender balance of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s first cabinet and his chorus line of junior ministers, it may seem incongruous to speculate about which of two powerful women, each at a career pinnacle, will resign, be ushered gently towards the door, or simply be fired, first. 

That speculation must also include consideration about how long it will take for the already-swinging axes to fall — as they most certainly will. Will those women, or a successor, sign off on official Christmas cards? Have they uttered the opening lines in the closing acts of their executive roles?

Both women work at a level at which trustworthiness is far more important than anything as random as gender. Delivery, and respect, far outweigh any other issue. Both are expected to lead great change, while maintaining stability. Both are products of the system they lead and that has helped them climb the greasy pole, but those formative influences condemn them, too. Neither would take refuge in gender to deflect criticism. They may have had to tiptoe over the debris of the glass ceiling, but they did not have to break it.