At a time of gender angst in our nation, I am fascinated by the two “iron ladies” that had a profound impact on the 20th Century - Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir. I recently came across a quote from Meir that reminded me of the transformative power of education: “Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” Both women came from very humble backgrounds and it was education, I would argue, that gave them the power to transform their respective nations, the U.K. and Israel.
Education is transformative. Woodbury University has a 133-year old heritage of promoting three core principles: engagement, innovation and transformation. From its inception, Woodbury has been committed to diversity, gender equity and racial justice. The inaugural class had roughly equal proportions of men and women, which is remarkable in 1884. That year, the Los Angeles Times promoted a six-month business program at Woodbury as being open to both gentlemen and ladies and promised to deliver a “thoroughly practical business education.”
So let me remind you of the importance of women’s education and leadership by outlining the careers of these two extraordinary politicians, who were the first women to be named Prime Minister in their nations.
Golda Meir was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 but raised in Milwaukee. Her family background was humble, her father being a carpenter and her mother ran a grocery store. She attended a teachers’ college, Milwaukee State Normal School (now University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee), and after graduating she taught in Milwaukee public schools. She moved to Palestine in 1921 and was one of 24 signatories (including two women) of Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. She later became Labor Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and, from 1969 to 1974, Prime Minister of Israel. She was on the world stage for nearly two decades.
Margaret Thatcher had a similarly modest upbringing. Born in 1925 in Lincolnshire, England, her father owned two grocery stores. She received a scholarship to study chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford, a women's college at the time. A chemist before becoming a lawyer, Thatcher was elected to Parliament in 1959; was appointed Secretary for Education and Science; and in 1979, she became the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and the first woman in this leadership role. Outspoken and controversial, she is arguably one of the most influential politicians in British history. Perhaps her most famous quote is: “It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs.”
But the larger story is that these political giants were shaped by their education and belief in human dignity. They were not afraid to fail and to promote revolutionary changes in their nations. A core principle was a commitment to equality, whether it be ethnic, gender or economic. And they were not afraid to be women. In her autobiography, My Life, Meir creates an image of the kindly grandmother who helped to write her nation’s history. So what are the lessons for institutions of higher learning? In short: We need more leaders like Meir and Thatcher to highlight women’s education and national achievement.
For its part, Woodbury continues to live by its legacy of gender equity. One indication is that three of its four School Deans are women. Another is that the last three Presidents of its Associated Students are women.
Through the power of their examples, Thatcher and Meir inspired women the world over. Institutions like Woodbury are likewise positioned to educate, motivate and inspire. We look on that as central to our mission, one individual at a time.
David M. Steele-Figueredo, Ph.D., is President of Woodbury University in Burbank, Calif.