Janet Street Porter suggested the coronavirus pandemic would have been handled better if there had been more women in Cabinet on today's Loose Women.
Her comments came as the panel gave their response to Boris Johnson announcing a nationwide lockdown on Monday night.
Giving their take, Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan suggested the previous tier system that had been issued by the government had left a lot of people confused about the pandemic.
"We should have been in lockdown before Christmas," said Janet, who noted that people have been jetting in out of the country for 'foreign holidays'.
She went on: "I just wish that the cabinet had been - I know this might sound sexist - but if there had been more women in the Cabinet instead of mostly men of a certain age, if it was more evenly balanced between the sexes, there might be more reflection about how you actually manage in a lockdown.
"After all it is women who are now going to bear the brunt of shopping, running the house, homeschooling and trying to hold down a job at the same time."
Coleen said she had felt relieved to hear the country was being plunged into a lockdown on Monday night.
"I was confused with the tier system and I think a lot of people were," she explained, adding "Some people had been going about their business as usual."
"There's a part of me that thinks, 'Good! We are in the same lockdown. We are all on the same level now,'" she added.
On Monday night Boris Johnson announced tough new lockdown restrictions forbidding people to leave the house for non-essential reasons.
Cabinet officer minister Michael Gove told Sky News the measures may remain until March.
The UK reported a record 58,784 cases on Monday, as well as a further 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
Boris Johnson is due to hold a press conference in Downing Street at 5pm this evening with chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty and the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, to give a further update on the health crisis.
