Thatcher, Margaret

Reform and Policy Agendas

Although she was the first female political leader of a Western democracy, Thatcher did not perceive herself as a feminist. She neither actively advanced the political careers of female colleagues nor did she pursue a markedly female-friendly policy agenda. By occupying the most powerful position in Britain for over a decade, Thatcher changed perceptions and expectations of the role women might play in the public sphere.

She was married to wealthy businessman Denis Thatcher from 1951 until his death in 2003. They had two children, twins Carol and Mark. Remarkably, for the era, as the mother of young children, she continued to train and then work as a tax lawyer, relying on a nanny for childcare. Despite her personal experiences, Thatcher did not seek reforms in family-friendly or work-life reconciliation policy when she was in government.

The daughter of a grocer and town councilor in Grantham, a small town in England, Thatcher attended a local state school and then Somerville College at the University of Oxford (1943-47). As a university student, she read chemistry and became politically active, later getting elected president of the Conservative Association. In her mid 20s, Thatcher twice ran for election unsuccessfully. In 1959 things changed and she was elected to Parliament. That election began a 30 year career of representing the constituency of Finchley, in north London.

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Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher remained an intensely controversial figure in Britain long after her term ended.

In 1975, Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party and thus head of the opposition. This achievement gave Thatcher the unique distinction of being the first woman to lead a Western political party, and it launched a national and international career. Between 1959 and 1975, Thatcher held various government posts, the most notable of these was Education Secretary. It was during this time that she earned the moniker Thatcher the Milk Snatcher for her policy to stop free milk for school children.

Early on in her premiership, Thatcher faced the challenges of recession and high unemployment. Influenced by Keynesian economic thinking, she instigated reforms collectively referred to as “Thatcherism.” She pursued a policy of economic liberalization, which extended to the selling and opening up to competition of state assets.

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