1. Women Leaders and the Concept of Women Empowerment: Benazir Bhutto and Margaret Thatcher
- Author:
- Betül Tiryaki
- Publication Date:
- 07-2024
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Rest: Journal of Politics and Development
- Institution:
- Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN)
- Abstract:
- Women empowerment is a significant concept in gender equality. Political empowerment is particularly critical because they need to be active in the decisionmaking process (Rasul, 2014). However, women’s experience shows various difficulties while trying to reach high positions, especially in politics. The situation raises an important question about how women who have experienced holding authority use it for the benefit of other women. So, the research aim is to investigate how two women leaders in different countries with different development levels contribute to women’s empowerment. Therefore, Benazir Bhutto and Margaret Thatcher are the two cases of this research. Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan’s first Muslim female prime minister, an underdeveloped country from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996 (Jangbar, 2021). On the other hand, Margaret Thatcher was the first woman prime minister of the United Kingdom, a developed country from 1979-1990 (Özdikmen and Kartın, 2021). A woman leader in a developed country is expected to contribute more to women’s empowerment than a woman leader in an underdeveloped country. Yet, while Benazir Bhutto is shown to have made significant strides in empowering women in Pakistan, Margaret Thatcher’s use of power did not align with supporting women. She was known to criticise women’s rights, which had already been gained. This unexpected contrast challenges the notion that the development level of countries influences the work of women leaders as expected. The findings suggest that women leaders in underdeveloped countries may hold more significance in the context of women’s empowerment.
- Topic:
- Women, Leadership, Benazir Bhutto, Empowerment, Gender Equality, and Margaret Thatcher
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, United Kingdom, Europe, and South Asia