The More Influential, the More Controversial: How Eleanor Roosevelt and Eva Perón Broke Gender Norms and Redefined the Role of First Lady

Abstract

This thesis is a cross-cultural examination of how Eleanor Roosevelt and Eva Perón broke gender norms and redefined the role of first lady in the United States and Argentina. I examine the expectations for women in the early and mid-20th century and analyze how Roosevelt and Perón's actions were within and beyond these expectations. I find that Roosevelt's language was less forceful and groundbreaking than that of Perón, who was able to mix her strong visual presence with forceful language to create a Peronist image, and broke gender norms more than Roosevelt.