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Political Science
10 02 2019
Margaret Thatcher – The Iron Lady
In the heady arena of politics, the one woman who left her indelible mark would
undoubtedly have to be Margaret Thatcher – the first female Prime Minister of Britain. At a time
when society still frowned upon women occupying leadership positions, she changed the status
quo with her steely resolve and by orchestrating big changes in Great Britain. The public image
that she maintained all throughout her political career was one that of benignity, but underneath
this façade lay a cunning that untiringly worked towards the neo-liberalist causes she so strongly
espoused. Her courage and bravery were sterling highlights of her career when she attempted to
turn around the principles of the erstwhile British welfare state to something more in keeping
with her strong Conservative beliefs.
Margaret Thatcher was born in the market town of Grantham into a family of modest
means. Her father, Alfred Roberts, who owned a grocery shop and also served as a Conservative
councilor had a huge influence on her. Her account of the strict but happy childhood above the
shop could explain many details about her initial grooming years including her cultivation of
interest in politics (Campbell 20). Her political interest continued through to her University years
in Oxford when she got elected as President of the University Conservative Association, and
upon her graduation, she even landed a coveted job as a research chemist. Yet she decided to
take the dive into full-time politics. It may be hard to ascertain what exactly motivated her to
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make politics her career choice at such a young age when she might have done better in an
alternate career related to her field of study. It was obvious that she was a highly principled
woman who was keen on setting a fine precedent in terms of what women could do and achieve.
She may also have been aware of the acute lack of women in leadership positions in businesses
and governmental organizations. In notching up a big political role, she somehow saw the
opportunity to deal a big blow to stereotypical perceptions about women that sought to cast them
within the mold of traditional patterns of womanly behavior, and more in keeping with the liberal
image that feminists nowadays strongly envisage. Without doubt, it was Britain’s welfare and
repositioning to its erstwhile status of glory that figured highly on her agenda as evidenced by
her talks and the policies that she had subsequently enacted then. It has to be borne in mind that
