Education
During World World War II she studied at Yale, and then took an Master of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics at Street Anne"s College, Oxford.
During World World War II she studied at Yale, and then took an Master of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics at Street Anne"s College, Oxford.
She served as the first ever female Leader of the House of Lords from 1981 to 1983, first as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and from 1982 as Lord Privy Seal. She was the only woman ever appointed to the Cabinet by Margaret Thatcher. Born Janet Mary Baker in 1926, she went to the mainly boys Dragon School in Oxford where she played rugby and cricket, and then to Headington School.
She became a councillor for Oxford City Council in 1957 and was leader by 1967.
Not long after she was raised to the peerage on the advice of Edward Heath, being created a life peer on 24 May 1971 taking the title Baroness Young, of Farnworth in the County Palatine of Lancaster. As the Lady Young she was appointed Leader of the House of Lords, and sat on the boards of large corporations such as National Westminster and Marks and Spencer.
In later life she was known for her staunch opposition to gay rights. She worked to try to stop legislation going through that would allow unmarried couples (including gay men and women) to adopt children, and also led campaigns in the House of Lords to prevent equalisation of the age of consent for homosexual men with that of heterosexuals, and also fought the repeal of Section 28.
She was ultimately defeated on all counts.
Although she managed to delay the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales in 2000, Section 28 was finally removed from the statute book in 2003. She died at the age of 75 following a long battle with cancer. Tim Montgomerie, then Chairman of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, said that "Baroness Young led a life of great service to Christian causes.
Unlike many of today"s politicians and church leaders, she refused to accept that the breakdown of the family was inevitable and she invested every effort into standing up for the interests of vulnerable children.
She will be sadly missed.".