Ladies Not For Turning?

This master's thesis examines how gender performativity and leadership style intersect in the political careers of Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi. Through the use of Critical Discourse Analysis and Comparative Case Studies, it investigates how both leaders navigated, reinforced, or subverted gender norms within patriarchal political systems. The central research question explores how Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity and Bernard M. Bass's leadership style framework illuminate the strategic construction of executive authority. The analysis unfolds along three axes: horizontal (contextual), vertical (structural), and transversal (historical), capturing the dynamic interplay between individual agency and broader sociopolitical forces. The findings demonstrate that Gandhi and Thatcher did not simply embody gendered expectations but actively performed them, strategically adapting their leadership personas to their specific national contexts. By integrating theoretical contributions from gender studies, leadership psychology, and postcolonial historiography, this thesis offers a novel analytical synthesis and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of female leadership and the performative nature of political power.