This belief was not some kind of political opinion. This led to the belief, formed in early childhood, that they were boys’ equals. Without boys around for contrast, they grew up without any basis for comparison. The absence of brothers during their childhood meant that none of the three experienced the assignment of traditional gender roles at home. Indira Gandhi was an only child, the pampered daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian’s first Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher had but one sibling, a sister. Her only two surviving siblings were both sisters. Golda Meir grew up in Russia in poverty, and five of her siblings died in early childhood. Despite the differences in their political and economic philosophies, the three women had much in common. Thatcher, who became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975 and leader of her nation in 1979, was a contemporary and an admirer of the Indian and the Israeli. The second, Golda Meir, became Prime Minister of Israel, in 1969 and served until 1974. She was elected again in 1980 served until her assassination in 1984. The first, Indira Gandhi, became Prime Minister of India in 1966 and served until 1977. Margaret Thatcher was not the first of the three. Ultimately, following the same road men took, they rose to national leadership. They entered politics, they ran for office, they lost and they won, they made friends and they made enemies. They made their own way onto that stage, the same way men did. Then, in the brief period of thirteen years, from 1966 to 1979, these three very different women emerged onto the world stage. But they owed their power, at least initially, to circumstance. Once in power, some - such as, Elizabeth I of England, and Catherine the Great of Russia - proved themselves every bit as accomplished and ruthless as their male compatriots. From earliest history to modern times, the only women to lead great nations were those who inherited or married into power. These three women ushered in a historic development.
To understand Margaret Thatcher, one need also study her contemporaries Indira Gandhi and Golda Meir. Judging her not just as an individual, but as a member of that select company, helps one to understand her character and her love/hate (some might say, hate/hate) relationship with feminism. Margaret Thatcher was actually a member of a small but distinguished company of women leaders. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” She referred to the House of Commons as “a dreadfully male-dominated place.”īecause Thatcher is enshrined as a champion of individualism, it is tempting to judge her as an individual, separate and apart from her contemporaries. She famously quipped: “In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. On occasion, she didn’t mind extolling her own sex above the other one. Throughout her career, she urged women to get involved in the political process, both as voters and as candidates. Yet Thatcher’s position on feminism was more nuanced than her critics, and Thatcher’s own dismissive comments, might suggest. She does make ’s list of Top 100 Women of History, but then again, so does Rosie the Riveter, who is literally a fictional character. The Guardian’s list of the Ten Best Female Pioneers includes Eva Peron, but Thatcher’s nowhere to be seen.
The Guardian’s list of 10 Best Female Pioneers includes Coco Chanel and Kathryn Bigelow, but Margaret Thatcher? Go fish. Look at your average list of Female Trailblazers and Great Women in History and Women Leaders - Ashley Judd’s there, Chelsea Clinton, even Princess Diana - but there’s a giant hole shaped like the Iron Lady. Alexandra Petri, a Washington Post blogger, has recorded Thatcher’s place in feminist history.
They have noted that in her eleven years at Ten Downing Street, she appointed only one woman cabinet member, and that one was to a rather unimportant position in the House of Lords. They have accused her of pulling up the drawbridge behind her once she had gained entry into the corridors of power.
“I owe nothing to women’s lib,” she announced, and many feminists gladly returned the compliment. The feminists hate me, don’t they?” she asked in a 1982 interview, three years into her tenure as Prime Minister. She did not merely part company with contemporary feminists. Yet once in office, she did not fit the role expected of women pioneers. As the first and the only female Prime Minister of Great Britain, she shattered a ceiling whose hardness resembled granite more than glass. In death as in life, Margaret Thatcher poses problems for feminists. Today, the Baroness Thatcher (after her retirement from politics, she was given a peerage) was laid to rest.