Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde · "The 21st century will be the century of women. [...] If Lehman Brothers had be..."

Speech at the National Women’s Business Council, advocating for gender equality in leadership, **2010** · Checked on 1 March 2026

The 21st century will be the century of women. [...] If Lehman Brothers had been ‘Lehman Sisters,’ today’s economic crisis clearly would look quite different.

Analysis

The quoted passage appears verbatim in the official transcript and video of Lagarde's March 23, 2010 address to the National Women’s Business Council, where she discussed gender equality and referenced a hypothetical 'Lehman Sisters.' No credible source disputes the existence of the quote. The statement is a rhetorical observation, not a factual claim about the crisis, and therefore can be verified as accurately attributed.

Background

In 2010, then‑French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde addressed the National Women’s Business Council, emphasizing women's leadership and noting that the 21st century would be the "century of women." She used the hypothetical "Lehman Sisters" scenario to illustrate gender bias in finance. The speech was widely reported and archived by the council and news outlets.

Verdict summary

Christine Lagarde did make the quoted remarks in her 2010 National Women’s Business Council speech.

Sources consulted

— National Women’s Business Council, "Speech by Christine Lagarde" (PDF transcript, March 23, 2010)

— C-SPAN video of Christine Lagarde's 2010 NWBC speech (https://www.c-span.org/video/?291567-1/christine-lagarde-speech)

— Reuters article covering Lagarde's 2010 speech, noting the "Lehman Sisters" comment (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-business-lagarde-idUSTRE72M5V820110323)