First Ladies of the United States-Advocates for Children, Women Leadership and Social Causes: a Historical Examination of Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2013 First Ladies of the United States-Advocates for Children, Women Leadership and Social Causes: A Historical Examination of Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton Nimsiha Bhatt Kumar Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Kumar, Nimsiha Bhatt, "First Ladies of the United States-Advocates for Children, Women Leadership and Social Causes: A Historical Examination of Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton" (2013). Dissertations. 526. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/526 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2013 Nimsiha Bhatt Kumar REwwwwwwLOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO FIRST LADIES OF THE UNITED STATES-ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN, WOMEN LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL CAUSES: A HISTORICAL EXAMINATION OF NANCY REAGAN AND HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TOTHE FACULTY OF THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION BY NIMISHA BHATT KUMAR CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MAY 2013 Copyright by Nimisha Bhatt Kumar, 2013 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation represents a major accomplishment in my career as a scholar, a teacher, an administrator, and a leader. My journey has been a long rendezvous with destiny to impact the educational lives of children. So many people have supported me on this journey. I wish to extend my appreciation to all of my family, friends, and colleagues who were so instrumental in providing support and encouragement. The distinguished members of my dissertation committee. My chair, Dr. Marla Israel, whose has been a role model to so many Loyola University students and through her support, guidance and encouragement, I was able to develop my leadership in education and complete my work on this dissertation. Dr. Fine you have challenged me to develop multiple perspectives and still stay true to my core values. Dr. Sostak, I admire you expertise and leadership and I am honored that you have been a part of my dissertation process. To my loving children, thank you for encouraging me to finish this process and giving me the time to do. To my nieces and nephews (Jacob, Jenna, Katie, Morgan, Maya, and Sara) you are incredible little individuals, and I hope that I can be an inspiration for you to pursue your fullest potentials. To my grandmother, you instilled in me the importance of education, resilience and exemplified leadership in the family. Even at 91 your wisdom and words give so much power and influence to everyone around you. I am so grateful that you raised me iii and were such a monumental part of my life and the life of all your grandchildren and great grandchildren. To my sisters, your support and encouragement has helped me to push myself further and beyond any expectations. This doctorate is not only for me but for each of you. I could not have done it without your support and encouragement. I will be eternally grateful to you. To my editors, Kathy Elifrits and Alefiya Vasi, your support and encouragement has helped me to finish this dissertation. Thank you for proofing my work. To the Raos’, Vasi, and Mariani family, I am forever grateful for your ongoing support and friendships. And finally to the women in this study, First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton, thank you for the lessons your legacy leaves for all the future women leaders. You have been a testament of your time and demonstrated an everlasting influence in our country. The support you provided your husband’s is to be commended and shows what women around the world do each and every day for their families. iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my daughter, Nandini Kumar and my son, Arjun Kumar, who inspire me. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES ix ABSTRACT x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction 1 Purpose of the Dissertation 4 Historical Perspective of Leadership Theory 5 Transformational Leadership 6 Historical Perspective of the Leadership Role of the First Lady 11 Significance of the Study 15 Research Questions 17 Documentary Research Methodology 17 Limitations of the Study 22 Biases of Researcher 22 Chapters 23 Key Terms 24 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 27 Introduction 27 Analysis of Women’s Way of Knowing through Feminist Epistemology 28 Historical Perspective on Women and Leadership 31 Gender and Leadership Styles and Effectiveness 32 Barriers to Women’s Leadership Journey-The Leadership Labyrinth 37 Women Navigate the Leadership Labyrinth 47 Conclusion on Women’s Leadership 49 Defining the Role of the First Ladies and Their Advocacy for Social Change 50 First Ladies-Background 50 Why Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton? 115 Review of Conceptual Framework and its Application 117 Conclusion 118 III. NANCY REAGAN 120 Introduction 120 Nancy Is Born in New York City 1921 122 Nancy’s Early Years (1923-1928) 123 Nancy moves to Chicago May 21, 1929 124 Nancy at Smith College (September, 1939- June, 1943) 127 vi Nancy in New York 1944-1947 129 Nancy moves to Hollywood (1949) 130 Nancy meets Ronald Reagan-The Love Story- October 1949 131 Nancy Davis becomes Mrs. Nancy Davis Reagan 134 Ronald Reagan begins his Political Career 136 First Lady of California (1967-1975) 138 1980 and 1984 Presidential Campaign and Inauguration 144 First Lady of United States (1981-1989) 145 Post-Presidential Life 207 Review of Conceptual Framework and its Application 209 Analysis 210 Conclusion 233 IV. HILLARY CLINTON 234 Introduction 234 Hillary Rodham is Born 235 Hillary’s Rodham’s Childhood in Park Ridge 236 Hillary Rodham Attends Maine East High School 240 Hillary goes to Wellesley College 244 Hillary goes to Yale Law School 249 Hillary Rodham Meets her future husband, Bill Clinton 251 Hillary works on the Children’s Defense Fund 253 Hillary works with Judiciary Committee on Nixon Impeachment 254 Hillary moves to Arkansas and Marries Bill Clinton 255 First Lady of Arkansas 1979-1981, 1983-1992 257 Presidential Campaign of 1992 263 Inauguration, 1993 271 First Lady of the United States, 1993 - 2001 273 Post-Presidential Life 321 Review of Conceptual Framework and its Application 323 Analysis 324 Conclusion 344 V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION 345 Introduction 345 Research Questions 347 Research Question 1 348 Research Question 2 354 Research Question 3 365 Research Question 4 386 Research Question 5 406 Application for Educational Administrators 426 Recommendations for Further Research 428 Limitations of the Study 429 vii Final Thoughts 430 BIBLIOGRAPHY 438 VITA 457 viii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Bass' Four Components of Transformational Leadership ............................................... 8 2. Types of Degree Awarded to Women ......................................................................... 37 3. Nancy Reagan's Components of Transformational Leadership--President's Protector .......................................................................................................................... 211 4. Nancy Reagan's Transformational Leadership-Presidential Advisor ........................ 217 5. Nancy Reagan’s Transformational Leadership-Activism-Just Say No Campaign ........................................................................................................................ 224 6. Hillary Clinton's "Hillaryland" Leadership ................................................................. 325 7. Hillary Clinton's Components of Transformational Leadership in Healthcare Reform Initiative ............................................................................................................. 330 8. Hillary Clinton's Components of Transformational Leadership in Activism for Women and Children ...................................................................................................... 336 9. Bass' Four Components of Transformational Leadership ........................................... 346 10. Nancy Reagan’s Transformational Leadership-Activism-Just Say No Campaign ........................................................................................................................ 389 11. Hillary Clinton's Components of Transformational Leadership in Activism for Women and Children ...................................................................................................... 398 ix ABSTRACT In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the position of First Ladies has evolved from following a traditional role of White House hostess to becoming a more visible public figure with their own political agendas. First Ladies’ greater involvement in presidential administration initiatives has allowed the role to evolve to be more influential in making social change in our country. It is their leadership in social causes that has made our First Ladies garner a celebrity-like attention from the American people. Their desire to choose a cause to advocate during their time in the White House is due in large part to either personal connections or leadership goals that are assumed with a specific social