Interviews in the United States
September 14, 1977
QUESTION: You already hold a position which is uncommon in the Western world. I wonder if you can tell us something about a woman holding the position of party leader in Britain, some of the things which you have found are difficulties, some of the advantages you receive perhaps as a woman.
THATCHER: I really haven't found any difficulties. I'm not the first woman leader of a party except in the Western world. But someone's got to be first, and after somebody's been first, there'll probably be a number of people following after. Now I'm honestly often asked this question, and the slightly flippant answer is to say I don't know what it's like, I can't compare what it's like with being a man leader because I've never had both experiences. But I think some of you men are much more conscious of it than I am. I'll tell you something else you do. You say sometimes to a woman that she's got the mind of a man and you think it's a compliment. I don't necessarily. I think a good mind doesn't belong either to one sex or another, and I am what I am because of being the kind of personality. It doesn't really matter whether that personality is grafted on to being a man or a woman. But if I might just fly a little flag, it was Rudyard Kipling who said the female of the species is more deadly than the male, and I trust you'll keep that in mind.
QUESTION: Helsinki Agreements?
THATCHER: You're talking about human rights, in fact. If you look at the
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