Maria Fyfe facts for kids

Maria Fyfe (born Maria O'Neill; 25 November 1938 – 3 December 2020) was a Scottish politician and teacher. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Maryhill from 1987 to 2001. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the national Parliament.

Maria Fyfe also worked as a Deputy Shadow Minister for Women from 1988 to 1991. She was a spokesperson for Scotland from 1992 to 1995. One of her biggest achievements was campaigning for an equal number of men and women (50-50) in the Scottish Parliament.

Early Life and Education

Maria Fyfe was born in Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland. Her father, James O'Neill, worked as a clerk, tram driver, and shopworker. Her mother, Margaret Lacey, used to be a shop assistant. Maria went to Notre Dame High School.

In 1960, she joined the Labour Party. Later, as an adult student, she went back to school. She studied Economic History at the University of Strathclyde and graduated in 1975.

After university, Maria worked as a senior lecturer. She taught about trade unions at Glasgow Central College of Commerce from 1978 to 1987.

Starting in Local Politics

In 1980, Maria Fyfe was elected to the Glasgow District Council. This was a local government group that made decisions for Glasgow. She first helped manage the Finance Committee from 1980 to 1984. After that, she led the Personnel Committee until 1987. In 1987, she was elected to the national Parliament.

Maria Fyfe's Time in Parliament

Maria Fyfe became an MP in the 1987 general election. She represented the area of Glasgow Maryhill. She held this position until the 2001 general election.

During her time as an MP, she had several important roles:

• She was the Deputy Shadow Minister for Women from 1988 to 1991. This meant she was part of the opposition party, focusing on women's issues.
• She led the Scottish Group of Labour MPs from 1991 to 1992.
• She was a spokesperson for Scotland from 1992 to 1995.

Maria Fyfe decided not to run for re-election in 2001. Ann McKechin took over her role as MP for Glasgow Maryhill. In 2002, the University of Glasgow gave Maria Fyfe an honorary university degree.

Campaigning for Women's Rights

Maria Fyfe was very proud of her work on the "50-50 campaign." This campaign aimed to make sure that the new Scottish Parliament had an almost equal number of women and men. This was a big step, putting Scotland's parliament on par with countries like those in Scandinavia for women's representation.

Even after she left Parliament, Maria Fyfe continued to campaign for important causes. She worked on issues like homelessness. She also led the campaign to build a statue of Mary Barbour. Mary Barbour was a famous Glasgow councillor who fought for fair rents.

Personal Life and Legacy

Maria O'Neill married James Joseph Fyfe in 1964. They had two sons together. Her husband passed away before her.

In 2012, Maria Fyfe was interviewed for The History of Parliament's oral history project. This project collects stories from people who have been involved in Parliament. She also wrote two books about her life. One book, A Problem Like Maria, was about her work as an MP. Her second book, Singing in the Streets, shared stories about growing up in the Gorbals after World War II and her early political work.

Maria Fyfe passed away on 3 December 2020, at the age of 82, after a short illness.