Women and Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

Summary

In 'Women and Power: A Manifesto', Mary Beard draws on her expertise as a classical scholar to trace the roots of misogyny and the exclusion of women from power in Western culture. The book examines how language, history, and cultural myths have served to silence women and undermine their authority throughout the centuries. Beard uses both historical and contemporary examples to call for a reimagining of power structures that are more inclusive to women's voices. Concise and deeply insightful, the manifesto challenges readers to reconsider traditional notions of authority. It ultimately serves as both an urgent analysis and a call to action for gender equality in leadership.

Life-Changing Lessons

1. The silencing of women has deep historical roots, and understanding these origins is crucial for meaningful change.

2. Redefining power—and who has access to it—requires questioning longstanding cultural narratives and systems.

3. The way women speak and are heard in public arenas is as much about societal conditioning as individual confidence, demanding structural as well as personal solutions.

Publishing year and rating

The book was published in: 2017

AI Rating (from 0 to 100): 87

Practical Examples

1. Telemachus Silencing Penelope in The Odyssey

   Beard opens her manifesto with the story of Telemachus rebuking his mother Penelope in Homer's Odyssey, positioning this as the foundational moment for the cultural silencing of women’s voices in public. She uses this mythological episode to demonstrate how the policing of women’s speech is embedded in Western tradition.

2. Public Voice and Online Abuse

   The author discusses how contemporary women in politics and public life—such as Hillary Clinton—are subjected to abuse and ridicule online. Beard draws parallels between these experiences and those of women publicly mocked or marginalized in classical times, highlighting a persistent pattern across centuries.

3. Margaret Thatcher’s Vocal Training

   Beard cites Margaret Thatcher’s deliberate lowering of her vocal pitch to be taken more seriously as a leader. This example underscores how women often have to modify themselves to fit into male-dominated conceptions of authority and credibility.

4. Harriet Harman’s Pink Bus

   The text references British politician Harriet Harman’s 2015 'pink bus' campaign, analyzing how efforts to enhance women’s visibility in politics are often trivialized or met with derision. This reflects society’s unease with women occupying, and competing for, positions of power.

5. Power Defined as Male

   Beard critically examines the default association of power with masculinity, referencing the Medusa myth and other classical examples. She encourages readers to reconsider power not as something held by men and imitated by women, but as a concept that can be shared and redefined.