Hello. This is 6 Minute
English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Beth.
And I'm Neil.
Differences between men
and women have existed forever,
but in modern times imbalances
in the opportunities for men
and woman have widened.
One area where this imbalance
is widest is politics.
When we think of female politicians,
the names Margaret Thatcher,
Angela Merkel, Indira Gandhi,
or Jacinda Ardern all come to mind.
But, while women make up over
half the world's population,
only 26% of the world's
politicians are women.
How much of this is because
of misogyny – hatred and
prejudice against women?
It seems that the surprise resignation
of New Zealand's prime minster,
Jacinda Ardern, was partly because
of the misogynistic abuse
she received online, so in this
programme we'll be asking:
why is life so hard for women
in politics? And, of course, we'll
be learning some useful new
vocabulary as well.
But before that,
I have a question for you, Neil.
Britain has had three female
prime ministers, all from the
Conservative party.
First was Margaret Thatcher,
who was followed in 2016
by Theresa May, and after that
by Liz Truss, who resigned
after only a short time in office.
But for how long, exactly, was
Liz Truss prime minister? Was it:
a) 45 days?
b) 1 year and 45 days? or,
c) 2 years and 45 days?
I think the answer
is 45 days.
OK, Neil. I’ll reveal
the answer later.
One of the biggest barriers
for female politicians is
that politics has traditionally been
seen as a man's world.
When Margaret Thatcher became prime
minister in 1979, she had to
manage a group of men who were
not used to being told what
to do by a woman. Here,
Professor Rosie Campbell,
Director of the Global Institute
for Women's Leadership,
explains to BBC World Service programme,
The Real Story, how Mrs Thatcher's
solution to this problem was
to appear more masculine.
She was deliberately coached
to change her voice and
to behave in a way that
was more stereotypically masculine,
at the same time as presenting herself,
in terms of her attire,
in a very feminine way which
really showed the tightrope
she had to walk in order to seem
strong enough to be the leader,
but not subverting norms of
what it is to be a woman.
So I think, you know, whatever
you might think of Margaret Thatcher,
that was a very challenging
tightrope walk that she had to do.
Margaret Thatcher was coached
to behave more like a man,
for example by lowering her voice.
If you are coached, you are
specially trained in how to
improve at a particular skill.
At the same time she
was also advised to appear feminine,
especially in her attire –
the clothes she wore.
In trying to present both
male and female sides of herself,
Mrs Thatcher walked a tightrope –
an idiom meaning to be
in a difficult situation
that requires carefully
considered behaviour.
The point is that none
of these demands were made
of the men in Mrs Thatcher's government.
Even today, the way women
in politics behave or dress is
commented on and criticised
far more than men,
with the result that fewer women
are willing to expose themselves
to public scrutiny – a situation
which has only got worse
since the internet,
and with it, sexist
and misogynistic abuse
on social media.
Paradoxically, it is often
said that the qualities
of empathy and understanding
– often associated with women –
are most needed in politics today.
According to former prime minister
Helen Clark, who was New Zealand's
first female elected leader,
it's not just that women are more caring
– they also bring a different
leadership style,
as she explained to
BBC World Service programme,
The Real Story:
I think that women are
known for more collaborative
styles and politics, less likely
to be the, you know,
top down, heavy-handed...
you know, my way or the highway,
more open to evidenced debate.
I think it's certainly informed
the way that that I led.
I think it also informed
the priorities that I had.
Helen Clark believes women
leaders are more collaborative –
they prefer working cooperatively
with several people to achieve
a common goal. She contrasts
this with a stricter,
more dictatorial leadership style
by using the expression,
my way or the highway –
an idiom used as a warning that
someone will only accept
their way of doing things.
In fact, adopting such dictatorial
approaches has been the
end of many political leaders,
including Mrs Thatcher and,
more recently, Liz Truss...
which brings me back to
my question, Neil –
how long did Liz Truss last
as prime minister?
I guess it was 45 days.
Was I right?
That was... the correct answer!
Liz Truss was prime minister
for just 45 days,
the shortest premiership of
any British leader ever,
male or female.
OK, let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned in this programme
on women in politics,
starting with misogyny –
the dislike or hatred of women.
If you are coached in something,
you are trained or instructed
in how to improve
that particular skill.
Attire means the clothes
you are wearing.
If you have to walk
a tightrope, you’re in
a difficult situation
that requires careful behaviour.
The adjective collaborative
involves several people
working together for a particular purpose.
And finally, the idiom it's
my way or the highway
can be used as a warning
that someone will only accept
their own way of doing things.
Once again, our six minutes are up.
See you soon!
Bye!