Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Sexism shows there's long road to travel

Australia's first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / NZME

OPINION

I always liked Julia Gillard, Australia's first woman Prime Minister.

She was the leader of the Australian Labour Party from 2010 to 2013. From the start it was obvious she was going to be in for a hard ride. Australia's staunch male brashness is hard to overlook.

It is rough and harsh, and in my mind defines Australian men. Mixed with the different cultures and values of new Australians, the people show their disdain for politicians in a very direct, and often uncouth manner.

If they don't like you, you are left in no doubt. That in itself I don't mind. Politicians know they can be a lightning rod when it comes to how people feel about certain issues. They cop it as people want to vent, and I agree the public should always be able to tell politicians what they think.

In Gillard's case, what the public thought of her was brutal.

I believe, it was in no small measure aided and abetted by the media. There were no holds barred. But the worst vitriol came from within the house of representatives, from the political Opposition. Classic examples of sexist and misogynistic behaviour.

As Prime Minister of course you'll be constantly in the limelight. That's to be expected but with Gillard, the media didn't focus on her party's policies and aspirations for Australians.

They fixated on her clothes, her figure, her jackets and the sighting of any cleavage, her hair and the tone of her voice. Over time that detracted from her role as PM, and from being taken seriously as a politician.

The sexism was visceral and often grotesque.

As a woman, she was judged by a different leadership standard. Bill Heffernan, a Liberal senator, accused Gillard, when Deputy Leader of the Opposition, of being unfit for leadership because she was "deliberately barren".

This was just part of the long line of double standards she said she had to endure through her political career. But it was her "misogyny" speech, in response to Opposition leader Tony Abbott accusing her of sexism and calling into question her own standards, that has been voted the "most unforgettable" moment in Australian TV history.

Surprisingly it resonated with the Australian public and with women leaders around the world. I think it was a brilliant speech and I continue to watch it from time to time. It reminds me how far women still have to travel on the road to leadership equality.

We are now starting to see similar sexist behaviour and comments being directed at our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Not necessarily from Opposition politicians, theirs was obvious during Helen Clark's time as Prime Minister and has been the case since our first woman MP was elected. In recent years, with the rise in social media activity, we are seeing subtle changes in messaging.

The recent protest had posters showing the PM with highly gendered messages intended to undermine her.

Yesterday we celebrated International Women's Day. A time to imagine a gender-equal world. Free from bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

There has been an increase in the number of strong women leaders in many countries in recent years working to drive gender equality into existence. They are leading at a time when significant environmental, political and socioeconomic problems and unrest crowd the landscape.

They decry the double standards that hold women back and insist we drop assumptions about leadership based on gender. These leaders want to get on with the job. We see this demonstrated every day in our Prime Minister.