Women in politics have also been in the spotlight and it was particularily so for two power women, Margaret Thatcher and Aung San Suu Kyi. It is notable that both should have films made about them whilst they are still alive. Meryl Streep who plays Margaret Thatcher and Michelle Yeoh Aung San Suu Kyi, both capture the essence of the characters with excellent reviews.

In very different ways, the two women have influenced the world. Margaret Thatcher through her strident and domineering politics and Aung San Suu Kyi through her humanitarian politics of inclusion. They were both figures of authority and inspirational in their own way. Margaret Thatcher represented the Establishment and Aung San Suu Kyi was always under attack from it because of her defense of ordinary people.

If a single word could be used to describe each leader, for Margaret Thatcher it would be authority and for Aung San Suu Kyi it would be compassion.

Quotes:

Margaret Thatcher once said: “The woman's mission is not to enhance the masculine spirit, but to express the feminine; hers is not to preserve a man-made world, but to create a human world by the infusion of the feminine element into all of its activities.”  

Aung San Suu Kyi: “In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth, women are not merely tolerated but valued.”

We can be sure that in history it is not enough to be a woman in authority but to be recorded for being a woman that made a difference whilst in authority.

In this new generation of women entering politics, we shall look forward to seeing the difference they will make and the mark they will leave.

The Iron Lady

and

The Lady