First Spouse

First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the top of her profession or art.

The title has also been used for the wife of a head of government who is not also head of state. It has also been used to refer to the wives of the leaders of administrative divisions within a country.

History

It has been noted that the earliest use of the term "first lady" is in reference to person of a high ranking or outstanding person in their field, and that the term, as used to describe the spouse of the president of the United States, saw its first documented use in 1838 in reference to Martha Washington, who was never referred to as such during George Washington's time as president.

The first person to have been referred to as "first lady" on a regular basis during their time in the position was Harriet Lane, who was actually James Buchanan's niece, as Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor.

Variations

The male equivalent of the title in countries where the head of state's spouse has been a man, such as the Philippines or Malta, is first gentleman. While there has never been a male spouse of a U.S. president, " first gentleman" is used in the United States for the male spouse of a mayor or governor.

First spouse and first partner, both rare variations of the title, can be used in either case where the spouse of a political leader is of any gender. This term is used to promote gender equality and gender neutrality.

In the United States, collectively, the president of the United States and his spouse are known as the ''first couple'' and, if they have children, they are usually referred to as the ''first family''.

Use in non-English speaking countries

French-speaking countries have used the term ''première dame'' for first ladies, regardless of where the first lady is from. At least one article, published in 2017, used the term ''premier monsieur'' for first gentleman. For that particular article, it was used to discuss the possibility of Louis Aliot becoming first gentleman, should his spouse, Marine Le Pen, win that year's presidential election. Emmanuel Macron defeated Le Pen in that year's election.

Portuguese-speaking countries have used the term ''primeira-dama'' or "Primeira Dama" for first ladies. The term is used regardless of where the person is from. The term ''primeiro-cavalheiro'' is used for first gentlemen.

In Spanish-speaking countries, the term ''primera dama'' is used for first ladies, regardless of the country the person is from. The term ''primer caballero'' has been used for first gentlemen.

Sinophone countries have used the term 第一夫人 (''dìyī fūrén'') as a term for first ladies, also without regards as to where the first lady is from.

Europe

Croatia

The terms ''supruga predsjednika republike'' (wife of the president of the republic) or ''suprug predsjednice republike'' (husband of the president of the republic) are most commonly used in Croatia, while the terms ''prva dama'' (first lady) and ''prvi gospodin'' (first gentleman) are rarely used, except by foreign sources. The current wife of the president of Croatia is Sanja Musić-Milanović.

The wife of the prime minister has occasionally, in exceptionally rare cases, also been referred to as the "first lady" of Croatia, however as the spouses of prime ministers have often maintained a low profile and have almost never been public figures, the title ''supruga predsjednika vlade'' (wife of the prime minister) has been used in cases when such a reference is needed. The current wife of the prime minister is Ana Maslać Plenković.

Czech Republic

The term ''první dáma'' is used for wife of the president of the Czech Republic.

The current first lady is Ivana Zemanová.

The term ''první dáma'' is also used for first ladies of other countries.

Poland

The term ''pierwsza dama'' (literal meaning: "first lady") is used by the wife of the current president of Poland. The title ''pani prezydentowa'' (the presidential lady) is also commonly, though informally, used.

Russia

Foreign press reports have referred to the wife of the Russian president as first lady. The term has also been used by foreign press to refer to the wife of Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya.

Russian first ladies have been less visible than their western counterparts due to historical reasons, as explained below.

=Soviet Union

=
It has been noted that Soviet leaders generally preferred to keep their wives and families out of the spotlight, resulting in "invisible first ladies". As a result, low-profile first ladies remain common in post-Soviet countries, due to the leaders of those countries having grown up during the Soviet era.

The wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, Raisa Gorbachev, has been referred to as a Soviet first lady.

Ukraine

The wife of the country's president has been referred to as перша леді (''persha ledi'') by the country's government. The term "first lady" has also been used by the government in English language news releases.

While some first ladies, like Marina Poroshenko and Olena Zelenska, have played a role in social activism, other first ladies, like Lyudmila Yanukovych, have rarely taken part in public roles.

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany did not have an official title of "First Lady". Unofficially, however, there was a fierce competition between Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler's mistress, and Emmy Göring, Hermann Göring's wife, both of whom aspired to be considered as such.

Asia

Armenia

The wife of the president of Armenia has been referred to as "Հայաստանի Առաջին տիկին" (''Hayastani Arrajin tikin''). The term "first lady" has also been used. The spouse of the current president, however, is only referred to as "հանրապետության նախագահի տիկին" (''hanrapetut'yan nakhagahi tikin''), or "wife of the president of Armenia".

Azerbaijan

The wife of the current president of Azerbaijan uses the term '' birinci xanım''.

India

The term ''pratham mahila'' (प्रथम महिला, literally meaning "first lady") is less frequently used in India. The term might be used at times to refer to the wife of the president of India in newspapers; however, the more widespread term in general use is "wife of the president" or more informally as the president's wife/spouse/husband. the term "first lady" is not used to refer to the wife of the prime minister. Instead the term "first spouse" is used for the spouse of PM of India.

Indonesia

The term ''ibu negara'' (lady/mother of the state) is used for wife of the president of Indonesia. The term is also used to refer to first ladies of other countries.

Japan

In Japan, the term ''Naikaku Souri Daijin Fujin'' (内閣総理大臣夫人, literally "the wife of the Minister of the Comprehensive Administration of the Cabinet") is the title used for the wife of the prime minister of Japan.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, the term خاتون اول (read as ''khatoon-e-awwal'') is commonly used for the wife of Mohammad, Khadija Bint Al-Khuwaylid. It has also been used for wife of the prime minister of Pakistan. It has also been used for wife of the president of Pakistan

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