Women in politics ⏲️ 6 Minute English

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!