While visiting London and Paris this week I had the opportunity to talk with friends and business associates on the ground about what Brexit might really mean.Australia of course has rushed forward putting its hand up for a free trade deal with Britain. But it's far too early for that because the UK government is forbidden from negotiating any deals until it actually 'Brexits' and that will be at least four years away.Some very stiff upper lips in London are insisting that it's business as usual in the financial capital.But of course it's not.Having spent last week in other parts of this troubled Europe one can feel an emboldened unrest between the haves and have nots.As I've written before, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz among others says that the world is changing fundamentally.Put simply, the rich have become too rich and powerful and those who are left out are bound to react.In a Croatian town I got chatting to a 30-year-old economics graduate who spoke six languages.He had just quit his job in London because of rising tensions and was back home working in an ice cream parlour."Why were you eating ice cream, you promised to keep fit while you were away!" says Louise.My sweet tooth aside, this is an increasingly dislocated and uneven world and many countries are feeling it.However, new British Prime Minister Theresa   May seems to be a breath of fresh air.Following her first speech as Prime Minister outside 10 Downing Street, I thought she must be a Fairfax subscriber.For a measured conservative she seemed unusually passionate about issues that have been voiced in this column over many months.The focus of her speech was the severe effects of inequality, or in her words, "the burning injustice that if you are born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others".She continued; "If you're working class, you're less likely than anyone else in Britain to go to university.  
If you're at a state school, you're less likely to reach the top professions than if you were educated privately."If you are a woman, you will earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there's not enough help to hand."If you're young, you'll find it harder than ever before to own your own home."And she seemed to set a new emphasis for her government saying "we'll think not of the powerful but you. When it comes to taxes we'll prioritise not the wealthy, but you ... a Britain that works not for the privileged few but for everyone'.These are the things that we've been saying here consistently about Australia, but this vicar's daughter has now got a huge job to make the difference she so clearly calls for.I'm encouraged because Theresa   May is a woman. As I've argued before, we need more women at the most senior levels in our society to make it a better one.In the corporate world, statistics show that boards comprising significant numbers of women are better performers for shareholders over time.I think there is a chance that the world could receive similar benefits.By the end of this year there is every likelihood women will lead the great nations of Britain, Germany and the USA. There is a 50/50 chance that the United Nations will be led by a woman too.Sadly our Government is going backwards with only 13 women in the House of Representatives; the lowest level of any government since 1993.Labor on the other hand has met its target of 40 per cent and is well on track for 50 per cent by 2025.Australia is missing out on the tenacity and resolve that women bring to Government as well as everything else.In tough times, women often perform better than men. In my experience they are much more inclined to be protective of all. I believe they have a greater inner strength and courage, particularly in difficult times.The female leaders of Europe, including Christine Lagarde of the IMF, have their work cut out for them because there are great dangers if Europe contracts into increasingly unco-operative nation state entities.While all of the world is interconnected like never before, Australia has the ability to mitigate negative effects from Europe through positive relationships in our own region; a region that has already lifted millions out of poverty and thereby given huge numbers of people a real stake in a co-operative and peaceful future.And that's what peace and prosperity is all about; having a real stake in a future or not.Charlie reminds us all that Europe has seen a wonderful past but Asia is the future.