Challenges Faced by Margaret Thatcher - Essay Example

Margaret Thatcher Bibliography Margaret Thatcher became the first female British prime minister in 1979. She ruled the British political arena for more than 20 years. Her commitment to excel and enhance service to the common people motivated her to seek the top political office in the British system. Born to a grocer, Margaret received a humble life that taught her many life lessons. Her Christian family instilled Christian values of compassion and accountability (Thatcher 2010). She proved to be a bright student in school and steered her way up to the most prestigious education institution of the time, Oxford University. She started her political life in the institution when she vied for the Oxford University House Of Commons and got elected. She was the first female to get elected to the post. It is evident that Thatcher beat all the odds despite the sexism in the country that glorified the male gender and suppressed the female. She surprised many by her charisma and straightforward agenda which was to change the course of British history. Her ambition would be proven years later when her policies became the most impactful in the British economy (Smith 2008). Unique strengths One of the unique strengths of Margaret Thatcher was that she was able to counter male chauvinism and sexism that was present in the British system. The British society perceived that women belonged at home and that important matters of leadership belonged to men. It is evident that she defied all the rules and norms to vie for various political positions from her days at Oxford University. According to Aitken (2013), Thatcher maneuvered through a wave of gender discrimination which emanated from all directions. She was even crucified by members of her own party. A minister in her government was heard referring to her as ‘that bloody woman’, implying that she was not a favorite in the political scene. Margaret Thatcher she was bound by strong values from her childhood. History affirms that she was born in a Christian family that had special rules and norms. This implies that she valued accountability and transparency in her daily activities. Her attitude towards service to the populace was unprecedented as she advocated for massive economic renovations through an all inclusi9ve process. This was done due to the need to be a servant to the people and not a ruler. Another notable strength is that she believed in change and abolition of status quo. This point asserts that the British society regarded women as weak and could ensure that the situation remains intact. However, Thatcher was poised to pose a challenge to the setup and bring in a new way of thinking to the people. This was manifested by the way she handled issues head on as the leader of the government. Change diffused to all sectors of the government and the economy. She encouraged people to work more on sole proprietorship rather than wait for formal jobs. This new way of thinking helped stimulate the economy. Consequently, the legislature was not spared. She had decided that the opposition could not oppose policies just for the sake of it by taking them head on. Thatcher was received well by the public due to her courage to face challenges that authorities feared to address instead of irrelevant issue such as gender differences. She was the only leader that the public could trust to sort their problems without political repercussions from her opponents and male dominated legislature. Her bibliography shows that she rarely got enough sleep due to her efforts to transform Britons life. Thatcher believed in the glory of the United Kingdom in both internal and external facets. She fought off the militias in the Falkland Islands and strengthened British grip on it. She also tried to regain Ireland despite the attempt to assassinate her and her cabinet by the IRA. This was the most challenging moment in her leadership. Challenges faced by Margaret Thatcher Sexism in the British political and social system downgraded women in favor of men. It is evident that the humiliation that Thatcher received from the male counterparts was due to the fact that she was a woman. According to the then Britain, men were deemed superior and gender roles were distinguishable, that is, women were expected to stay at home and take care of the home and children whereas men were supposed to fend for the family. This concept was extended into the political scene during the reign of Thatcher. Another challenge that Thatcher faced was that she was regarded an outcast among women. She was not supposed to follow a political course to the highest office on the land. This was due to social restrictions (Coffé & Bolzendahl 2011). The notion made other political leaders, from her party and the opposition, to devise means to bring her down. Male chauvinism was so manifested in the period. As noted earlier, a minister from her government was quoted using gender biased language against the leader of the government. Thatcher had an uncompromising approach to issues that affected the public. However, most of the powerful leaders were not willing to adopt certain laws. For example, the tax policy that was adopted by Margaret Thatcher brought uproar in the House with members opposing it. Her insistence made negotiations impossible. This led to a call of mass protests to show the public discontent with the policy. This marked the political downfall of the leader (Johnson & Stark 1989) Lessons learnt from studying Margaret Thatcher Thatcher is regarded as one of the best leaders the UK has had. Here nature was to service the society by virtual of being the prime minister. She inspires in aspects such as dealing with issues that everyone runs away from and also inspiring the society to devise alternatives for economic wellbeing. Gender mainstreaming and inclusion of both genders in leadership can enhance development. This was manifested through Thatcher tenure. She proves that women and men can perform similar tasks if they are empowered top do so and given equal opportunities and circumstances (Baker & Greenberg 2008). It can also be learnt that one must consider other opinions before embarking on a decision that affect the general public. This point focuses on the fact that Margaret Thatcher fell from power due to her non-compromising approach to the tax policy. References Aitken, J. (2013). Margaret Thatcher: Power and personality. Baker, D., Greenberg, C., & Yalof, I. L. (2008). What happy women know: How new findings in positive psychology can change womens lives for the better. New York, N.Y: St. Martins Griffin Coffé, H., & Bolzendahl, C. (2010). Same Game, Different Rules? Gender Differences in Political Participation. Sex Roles. doi:10.1007/s11199-009-9729-y Etaugh, C., & Bridges, J. S. (2013). Womens lives: A psychological exploration. Boston: Pearson. Johnson, P., & Stark, G. (1989). Ten years of Mrs. Thatcher: the distributional consequences. Fiscal Studies. doi:10.1111/j.1475-5890.1989.tb00107.x Smith, B. G. (2008). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women In World History. Oxford [England: Oxford University Press. Thatcher, M. (2010). Margaret Thatcher: The autobiography. New York: Harper Perennial Wadesango N. (2011). Is Gender Equality Still an Issue? Tensions and Contradictions Embedding the Work of Feminists Today. Retrieved from http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-26-0-000-11-Web/JSS-26-3-000-11-Abst-PDF/JSS-26-3-163-11-1146-Wadesango-N/JSS-26-3-163-11-1146-Wadesango-N-Tt.pdf Read More