Housewives having a go: Margaret Thatcher, Mary Whitehouse and the appeal of the Right Wing Woman in late twentieth-century Britain

Abstract

Margaret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse have been described by Beatrix Campbell as 'populist heroines of the right', and an affinity between the two women was widely assumed throughout Thatcher's leadership. They were both suburban mothers with prominent handbags, calling for a return to the stabilising values of 'simpler times'. Their relationship, however, was far from straight-forward. By examining this relationship alongside its public presentation, this article will refine understandings of these important conservative women. Considering their shared cultural resonances will also enhance understanding of the late twentiethcentury cultural and political contexts within which they operated.