Rachel Montpelier
April 6, 2012
COMM 203, Section 1
Dr. Greene
Lady Astor’s Moderate Stance in “Women in Politics”
On the surface, Nancy Astor did not seem like the stereotypical politician. Before she ever
became involved in politics or social issues, she “had established herself as a socialite and political
hostess” (Brehony 197). She managed to infiltrate the social scene of politics before she ever
advocated for change as a leader. Though Lady Astor “was a conventional political wife and
‘showed little interest in women’s suffrage or an independent career for herself,’” she did establish a
career as the first woman ever to be elected to Britain’s House of Commons (Brehony 197). Her
speech, “Women in Politics,” crosses party lines and takes the stigma out of the inclusion of a
woman in the political climate, and she speaks rationally about gender equality. She makes the point
that government is all about balance, and needs both women and men in order to be successful. In
the deliberative speech, “Women in Politics,” Lady Astor stresses her ideology of how women as
politicians is a natural progression in history and uses logos, historical evidence and a moderate
stance in order to prove her point and to make her ideology seem accessible to the public.
The speech’s rhetorician, Lady Astor, was the first female to be a part of the House of
Commons. Though she was a part of the Conservative Party, Astor “appealed to working class
voters who might otherwise have voted Liberal or Labour on social class lines” and championed
causes that included nursery schools in Britain (Brehony 197). The exigence of her speech—or its
possible “imperfection marked by urgency”—includes the general political atmosphere at the time
(Bitzer 63). The public was hesitant to accept a female leader, and Astor’s peers were not tolerant of
her role as a political figure. Also, Astor’s determination to convince her audience that a woman in
politics is necessary and natural was a significant factor of the exigence. Astor’s audience while she
delivered her speech was the participants at Town Hall in New York City on April 9, 1922. The
constraints, or potential modifiers of the exigence, of the text include the chance that Astor did not
persuade her audience that women have a rightful place in politics (Bitzer 64). She argues that “no
one sex can govern alone,” and it is very possible that her opinion would have been rejected (Astor
208). Some audience members might have been very happy and comfortable with only male leaders.
Also, Astor alludes to Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I, and the success of their respective
monarchies (Astor 207). She makes the point that Henry was a “scalawag” and that a female
monarch made much better choices for the people (Astor 207). Since Astor’s audience was
American, her analogy concerning the monarchs might have been misunderstood. It is possible that
her audience did not know much or care about Henry VIII or Elizabeth I and British history. Overall,
Lady Astor’s speech was a fitting response to the rhetorical situation, because she does not constantly
reiterate how unfair it is to leave women out of politics. Astor simply makes it clear that a balance of
men and women as representatives is needed. She stresses how one side in politics is never a good
thing and makes a moderate argument about how neither men nor women should hold all the power.
The method of analysis that is applicable to Lady Astor’s speech is Ideological Criticism.
Unlike other criticisms that focus on the surface text of speeches, Ideological Criticism tries to
“discover the beliefs, values and assumptions” of the speaker and the text (Foss 209). Basically, this
method allows the reader to understand Lady Astor’s actual ideology and values, and what inspired
her to create her message in “Women in Politics.” Astor implicitly states in her speech that she is not
a feminist, but believes that equilibrium between men and women in politics is a natural step and is
very important. Since Astor subtly makes those two points in her text, the reader can understand and
assume her personal ideals, as a rhetorician. It is important to study the text with Ideological
Criticism because it helps the reader to understand the actual message, as well as the speaker’s
beliefs.
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The artifact that will be examined is Lady Astor’s speech, “Women in Politics.” The speech
is featured in The World’s Great Speeches and is a written excerpt from Astor’s original text. The
speech is Astor’s attempt to persuade her audience that a female perspective in social issues and
politics is not a radical step, but is a natural development in history. As a rhetorician, Astor gives
examples of why women in politics function well and also argues that one point of view is not
conducive to a stable government.
This version of Lady Astor’s speech manages to make a claim and display an ideology with
clearly presented elements, including evidence of women’s history, as well as British history. For
example, Astor uses her husband’s role in government in order to promote the balance of the sexes in
politics (Astor 207). Astor states “If I have helped the cause of women he is the one to thank, not
me” (Astor 207). Lady Astor’s evidence and recognition of her husband as the start of her career not
only promotes the necessity of women and men in politics, it clearly signifies that Astor has a
moderate stance. She does not single out her journey into politics, but gives credit to her husband
and pushes for more work that unifies the sexes in politics. Also, Astor cites British history to
clearly communicate her claim. Astor mentions that England was the “first large country to give the
vote to women” and it is only proper that it includes women in the government (Astor 207). Her use
of historical facts contributes to her claim that women have a rightful, natural place as elected
representatives. Astor obviously holds the opinion that if women can vote, they also can lead. She
also plainly states that she cannot conceive anything worse “than a man-governed world except a
woman-governed world” (Astor 208). She advocates for both perspectives in politics. Astor’s
combination of historical evidence and rational opinion contribute to her claim that a woman’s place
in politics is simply a necessary step in the government.
Along with the presented elements of “Women in Politics,” the rhetorician also provides
suggested elements to make her claim and communicate her ideology. For example, Astor says that
her place in the House of Commons is not “a revolution,” but is “an evolution” (Astor 207). With
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this statement, Astor provides the suggested information that her place in politics is not radical, but is
simply part of the chain of history. Basically, Astor’s proclamation suggests that her role in the
government is not an extreme action. She is not a feminist, but simply believes that a woman in
politics is fair. Also, Astor declares “A woman in the House of Commons! It was almost enough to
have broken up the House!” (Astor 207). With this statement, the reader can infer that the reaction to
her place in government was not positive. It serves the purpose of communicating the suggested
element that women were not generally accepted in politics at the time. However, it also contributes
to her claim that women in government are necessary. Lady Astor makes the point that there should
not have been such a huge reaction against her place in the House. Her perspective communicates
her ideology that women have a natural place in government, and also shows that a public outcry
over a woman in politics goes against that progression. Astor’s moderate stance and rationality work
with the suggested elements of the speech to claim that women are a part of society, and therefore
should be representative in politics.
The suggested elements and presented elements in “Women in Politics” work together to
form and communicate Lady Astor’s personal ideology. Also, Astor’s evidence of history and her
personal opinions work collaborate in order to present her own ideology. The ideology present in
“Women in Politics” is that the idea of women in government is not radical and should not be
considered an affront to the status quo. Astor believes that there should be many views in politics,
and that everyone deserves to have his or her voice heard (Astor 208). She uses rationality and logos
in her speech to calmly explain why women are necessary in government. For example, Lady Astor
claims “one of the reasons why civilization has failed so lamentably is that it has had a one-sided
government” (Astor 208). She does not play up to the audience’s emotions, but explains her position
about why women have a rightful place as elected representatives. Astor’s ideology is that one voice
in a government is unhealthy and that women make up a part of the population, and should make up
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part of politics. She manages to convey her own ideology by explaining her reasoning and giving
historical facts that make up her moderate opinion that helps to influence the audience.
Lady Astor’s personal ideology is recognizable in her speech, and it also serves a specific
function for the audience. The function of the ideology is to persuade the audience to accept women
as representatives. Astor does not try to imply that women should be elected just because they are
women. She stresses that if a women is the best person for the job, she should be elected. Astor also
stresses that both women and men have something to bring to politics. She declares “I feel men have
a greater sense of justice and we of mercy. They must borrow our mercy and we must use their
justice” (Astor 208). This opinion can help the audience to see that men and women both have a role
in government. Most of all, Astor tries to communicate her view that one voice and perspective is
never a positive thing in politics. Towards the end of her speech, Astor states that a combination of
men and women in government will make “civilization more worthy” (Astor 208). Lady Astor’s
ideology works to persuade and convince her audience that women are just as necessary in politics as
men, because they both have skills that would be helpful in government.
Lady Astor’s deliberative speech, “Women in Politics,” manages to use historical facts, logos
and a moderate stance to communicate the ideology that a woman’s role in politics is not a radical
change, but is a natural step in the progression and advancement of government. This speech is a
part of Lady Astor’s career as a politician in the British House of Commons, but also shows elements
of rhetoric. The rhetorician uses a moderate stance to present her personal ideology, and to persuade
the audience that women have a rightful, essential place in the government. With her moderate
opinion, logos, and historical evidence, Astor successfully communicates her personal ideology and
makes a convincing argument that women in politics is not an extreme, but is really a natural part of
society.
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Bibliography
Astor, Lady. “Women in Politics.” The World’s Great Speeches. 4th ed. Ed. Lewis Copeland,
Lawrence W. Lamm and Stephen J. McKenna. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc.,
1999. 207-208. Print.
Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Purposes of Rhetorical Criticism. 60-68. Print.
Brehony, Kevin J. “Lady Astor’s Campaign for Nursery Schools in Britain, 1930-1939: Attempting
to Valorize Cultural Capital in a Male-Dominated Political Field.” History of Education
Quarterly 49.2 (2009): 196-210. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. 23 March 2012.
Foss, Sonja K. Rhetorical Criticism. 4th ed. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc., 2009. Print.
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