Gender self-representation in the discourse of Margaret Thatcher before, during and after her role as the first female Prime Minister in the UK

Abstract

The representation of women in positions of power remains a relevant topic nowadays. When a woman is elected to such a position, it attracts attention due to the historical dominant presence of men in these roles. In the past, women did not have the right to vote, and therefore, when a woman occupies a position of great importance, it is something that attracts attention. Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to lead a major political party, which later led her to become the first female Prime Minister in the UK and to hold that position for eleven years, making her the longest-serving Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher was criticized for her leadership, particularly for being perceived as adopting a “masculine” approach and not making any progress in policies for women. This study aimed to determine the representation of gender in Margaret Thatcher’s discourse and the linguistic features used for this purpose. Thematic analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis were employed to characterize the discursive gender self-representation by examining recurring themes and linguistic patterns. The analysis revealed that gender was indeed present in her discourse, although with nuances and variations depending on the context in which the speeches were delivered. Considering gender as a social construct, it was possible to determine to some extent that Margaret Thatcher embodied characteristics culturally associated with masculinity as she occupied spaces of decision-making traditionally occupied by men but she was, therefore, considered “masculine” for not being soft, calm, sensitive and other characteristics culturally associated with femininity. It is important to note that Margaret Thatcher also demonstrated a constant defense of her gender and challenged gender biases when personally offended, but did not advance in a pro-women agenda in her eleven years in Downing Street. Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that even though gender is a social construct with certain associated behaviors, Margaret Thatcher was considered to adopt those culturally-associated masculine behaviors because she did not adopt culturally-associated feminine behaviors while she was holding office.