Former Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon, Who Took Office While Being Seven-Months-Pregnant, Dead At The Age Of 46

Carme Chacon who commanded Spain army as defence minister when she was seven months pregnant was found dead at her home on capital Madrid on April 9. Chacon was the first Spanish woman to command its army in 2008 and when we saw her inspecting the forces with seven-month bump,  many found inspiration in her while some left awed.

Reuters

Official said she died of a congenital heart condition at the age 46.

She came as a big moment for Spain

When the world saw a  visibly pregnant woman striding down a line of the honour guard of the Spanish army’s peacekeeping forces for United Nations, every left jaw-dropped. Her photos became instant hit across the world and it became a moment, the Spain as a country would cherish for long.

She visited Afghanistan as well

Reuters

The pictures that are there in the story were clicked when she was on her visit to Lebanon, barely two weeks after she took office. Later on the same trip, she visited Afghanistan as well. Just two months later she gave birth to her son, Miguel.

Her appointment was part of a drive promoting gender diversity

Spain as all other European powers was patriarchal, but  José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, prime minister of a socialist government wanted a gender diversity in his government. Therefore he appointed more women than men in his cabinet after he got re-elected in 2008.

Reuters

 During his first term, he’d passed laws against domestic violence and in favour of same-sex marriage, and mandated that political parties must have gender parity.

Chacon flourished under Zapatero’s government

With PM Zapatero willing to support its women ministers, Chacon, the daughter of a firefighter and a lawyer herself flourished. She served as housing minister before being handed defence. She had moved into the defence ministry in part because it had its own kindergarten. 

She took on military leaders and fired many

After delivery, she returned to work after a maternity leave of just six weeks (Spanish law allows for four months of paid time off) and instantly fired and replaced a number of military leaders whom she thought aren’t  up to the mark.

Reuters

Some hardline traditionalists called the choice of Chacón as defence minister—she was a pregnant woman, had no military experience, and was trained originally as a lawyer—a sign of “contempt” for the armed forces.

But many saw her as a highly competent, compassionate leader, whose appointment showed doubters that barriers to women’s power can be overcome at any time of life.