“Not to generalise but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization,” AFP reported the Democrat as saying.
He added: “How can I make the people around me better? How do I empower them... How do I build a team where everyone’s pulling together to get something done?”
It appeared to be another jab at Mr Obama’s Republican successor, Donald Trump.
A few days ago Mr Obama urged the 45th President to “think before you tweet”, following his widely condemned decision to share far-right videos posted by Britain First.
And earlier this month he joked he really had been born in Kenya, poking fun at Mr Trump’s past support for the “birtherism” conspiracy theory.
Mr Trump has struggled to pass significant legislation in his first year and faces unrelenting scrutiny over alleged links between his campaign team and the Kremlin.
The Russia investigation, under special counsel Robert Mueller, heated up last week with the admission by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn that he had lied to the FBI.
Mr Flynn appeared to have struck a plea deal with investigators, observers said, suggesting he had provided information about others in Mr Trump’s team.
The former general had been one of the billionaire’s closest supporters, often leading campaign crowds in chants of “Lock her up” that referred to opponent Hillary Clinton.
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