There is a famous expression in English: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’. That appears to be the rule when it comes to women taking on leading roles in politics and the community.

I have observed over many years that when a political party is losing its appeal with voters it is the women in the party who are prepared to take up the gauntlet and lead when ‘division is too bitter and men are prone to turning every discussion into a battle of wills.’ (Bershidsky, 2016).

Look at the names: Joan Kirner (Victoria), Kristina Keneally (NSW), Annastacia Palaszczuk (Queensland), Julia Gillard (federal) and now in Britain we see Theresa May replacing David Cameron as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at a particularly difficult time for the UK. Good for her!

Were they chosen simply because the men would not put their hands up at that challenging time when empathy and flexibility were called for?  Do the men retreat, fearing it will destroy their ambitions to rise to the top? Women on the other hand do well in contentious times. The ability to try for consensus and settle for compromise is an essential skill. Women appear to have those skills in spades.

Joan Kirner accepted the poisoned chalice when she was offered the leadership of the Victorian Labour government following John Cain’s resignation. There wasn’t one man prepared to lead that broken party. Joan Kirner accepted the position and for the remainder of her term she was criticised, poked fun at (i.e. the mythical polka dot dress) and denigrated on a daily basis by both a male dominated media and a parliament full of macho male politicians. The only person who survived with grace and dignity from that whole sorry saga was Joan Kirner herself.  I will always remember her courage.

Julia Gillard is the most recent high profile female politician who was constantly vilified.

The attacks were personal from both media and politicians. Julia had wrested the position of prime minister from Kevin Rudd. Whether or not that proved to be the right decision, she was given no credit for the impressive amount of legislation she managed to manoeuvre through both houses of Parliament, through consensus, compromise and negotiation. She maintained her composure and her dignity in the face of attacks on her integrity, her voice, her clothes and her family.

It was an ugly time in Australian politics.

Other names, not politicians, come to mind including Christine Nixon, former Chief of Police in Victoria, Gillian Triggs, Commissioner for Human Rights and most recently Caroline Wilson, sports journalist. These women are not politicians but they have led in their own particular fields of expertise and all have been vilified by powerful men, as they have conscientiously met the challenges of their professional roles.

Are attitudes beginning to change? Certainly there has been condemnation by the public for these outdated behaviours towards women.  It has been a long struggle.

The public must remain vigilant and call it when it they see it – misogyny and the old boys’ club.  

My best wishes Theresa  May.