Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin bats away reporter's questions about her age and gender

Watch: Finnish prime minister bats away reporter's questions about her age and gender

Finland's prime minister shut down a reporter's attempt to question her about her age and gender, telling him: "We don't have to go there."

Sanna Marin, 36, became the world's youngest serving government leader in December 2019 when she was sworn in as prime minister of Finland.

She has previously called out questions regarding her gender and age.

CNN and Washington Post journalist Fareed Zakaria attempted to bring up the subject during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

Zakaria said: "I know that you don't like to talk about your role as a very young woman in this very important job."

Marin replied: "And we don't have to. You know, we don't have to go there."

Zakaria continued with his attempt at the line of questioning, telling Marin that "there is a public fascination with it".

While trying to switch the angle on his question, Zakaria said: "Do you think that you have done things you furthered a women's agenda or certain issues that you understood perhaps better than than others might?"

Marin insisted her gender had nothing to do with the issues she had been faced with, replying: "Most of my time has gone with the major crisis that we have faced.

"And this would have been the same situation, whether there would have been a male prime minister in Finland or not.

"So no. My gender or my age hasn't affected that much about the agenda that we all have to face during these years."

Marin said gender equality was especially important in Finland due to the small population of 5.5 million people, which meant that they "couldn't cope if we wouldn't use all of the resources of all of our people".

Marin has previously spoken out about questions of her age and gender, telling British Vogue in 2020: “In every position I’ve ever been in, my gender has always been the starting point – that I am a young woman.

“I hope one day it won’t be an issue, that this question won’t be asked. I want to do as good a job as possible. I’m no better and no worse than a middle-aged man.”

Last year, Marin and New Zealand prime minister Jacina Ardern both reacted with disdain after a journalist asked if the pair were meeting because they are both young, female leaders.

Ardern responded that the same question would not have been asked of male leaders, telling the reporter: “Because two women meet it’s not simply because of their gender.”

Marin added: “We are meeting because we are prime ministers.”

Last year, Marin faced accusations of neglecting her duties as prime minister after a leaked video showed her dancing with friends in a crowded nightclub in Helsinki.

Marin assembled a press conference after the footage was widely shared, denying that she had taken drugs, before taking a drug test to prove her claims.

She defended her right to enjoy herself on a night out with friends, insisting that it did not interfere with her official duties as prime minister.

The video prompted women around the world posting dancing videos tagging themselves with a #SolidaritywithSanna hashtag.

An official inquiry cleared Marin of any wrongdoing, with Finland’s chancellor of justice, Tuomas Poysti, saying that there is ”no reason to suspect [Marin] of unlawful conduct or of neglect of her official duties".