Second lady
Second lady and second gentleman are honorary titles often used in reference to the spouse of a vice president or spouse of a lieutenant governor. The title is styled after first lady or first gentleman, which are used to describe the spouse of a president or governor.
The term is sometimes used informally to refer to the spouse of a prime minister,[1] or spouse of another political officeholder who is "second in command of a country or jurisdiction".[2]
United States
In the United States, while the term "first lady" was popularized by a journalist reporting on Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant from around 1870, it was not until the 1980s that the title "second lady" was more widely used to refer to the wife of the vice president.[3] In 2010, Marie Claire magazine reported that, "Historically, second ladies have been relegated to roast-chicken charity dinners and sit-and-smile political functions. They cherry-pick a cause or two...and pretty much stay out of the way."[4] The same article noted that Jill Biden was the first Second Lady of the United States to "fulfill the ceremonial aspects of her role" was also earning a paycheck in her own job, as an instructor at a community college.[4]
In 2021, Merriam-Webster added the term "second gentleman" to its dictionary, in light of Doug Emhoff becoming the first male spouse of an American vice president.[2]
In the United States, collectively, the vice president of the United States and his or her spouse are known as the second couple and, if they have children, they are usually referred to as the second family.
Other countries
In countries which have more than one vice presidential position (e.g. Peru, Afghanistan), the Second Lady would be the spouse of the First Vice President, the Third Lady would be the spouse of the Second Vice President, and so on.
In South Korea, it is similar to that of the United States where collectively the prime minister and the second lady are regarded as the second couple, and if they have a family they are all collectively known as the second family.
Although no country grants any legal power to second ladies, their duties often include the following:
- hosting during receptions at the vice presidential/prime ministerial/deputy prime ministerial residence;
- presiding over selected welfare institutions;
- accompanying the spouse in official travels;
- various ceremonial duties.
List
Armenia: Anna Hakobyan
Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev (Relative to First Lady and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva)
Brazil: Paula Mourão
Canada: Graham Bowley
Colombia: Yerney Pinillo, spouse of Vice President Francia Márquez
Estonia: Karin Ratas
France: Sandra Ribelaygue
Germany: see also: German order of precedence
- Second Spouse: vacant, President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas is widowed.
- Third Spouse: Britta Ernst, spouse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Guatemala: Lisette Arriaga
Ghana: Samira Bawumia
India: M. Usha
Indonesia: Mufidah Miad Saad
Israel: Gilat Bennett (Relative to First Lady Michal Herzog and to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett)
Japan: Chikako Asō
Kenya: Dorcas Wanjiku, spouse of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua
Myanmar:
- Second Lady: Khin Thet Htay
- Third Lady: Shwe Lwan
Russia: Vladlena Mishustina
South Africa: Nonhlanhla Patience Mnisi
South Korea: Lee Yoo-mi
Taiwan: Luo Feng-ping
Turkey: Hümeyra Şahin
United States: Doug Emhoff (Second Gentleman)
Zimbabwe: Mary Chiwenga
See also
References
- ↑ "Penelope Fillon interview - Carolyn Boyd". "The press have nicknamed Mme Fillon ‘France’s second lady’ but it’s a title she tries her best to play down, stating that the other wives of French Prime Ministers have never been in the limelight."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bennett, Kate (January 28, 2021). "Merriam-Webster adds 'second gentleman' to describe Doug Emhoff's role". CNN Wire. Retrieved 2022-12-15 – via Gale OneFile.
- ↑ McQuain, Jeff (1999). Never Enough Words. New York: Random House. p. 14. ISBN 0-679-45804-2. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jacobs, Alexandra (July 2010). "Q. So What Does the Veep's Wife Do Anyway?". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2022-12-15 – via EBSCOHost.
 | This article about politics is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "Second lady" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Second lady. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
|
This page exists already on Wikipedia. |
.jpg){kind=link}