http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/27/julia-gillard-sexism-feminism
Julia Gillard is a flawed human being. But she wasn't allowed to be one
When she made mistakes, as she was bound to do, her opponents pounced. Our binary view of women at the top was a gift for them
It doesn’t explain everything. It doesn’t explain nothing. It does explain some things.
This is part of what Julia Gillard said about her gender as she departed from the office of Australia’s prime minister after losing the leadership ballot last night. In my opinion, her summary is perfect.
Gillard’s problem is that she, like all the rest us, is just a flawed human being. Despite our desire for messiahs, if we’re honest or – dare I say – grown up, it’s the best we can ever get in our leaders. It is my observation, however, after a lifetime spent watching, studying and writing about women and power, that the problem for female leaders is that we are still not yet ready to give them the space to be merely human. We allow them an either/or position only. They can either be inspirational and amazing or terrible, dreadful, the worst we’ve ever had. For women, the difficulty is that there is no middle ground. If you get to the top you better prove you deserve to be there, girlie.
There is still a hint of the usurper around a woman who reaches the top. This works in both positive and negative ways. Difference both repels and attracts. Even those of us who pride ourselves on being "gender blind" greeted the idea of our first female prime minister with an excitement and anticipation that would not ordinarily accompany one of the usual suspects. And it’s not just women leaders who experience this euphoria. President Obama was also burdened by a level of public expectation that could not possibly be met. I suppose we recognise that the degree of difficulty for an outsider is much higher, so we feel that perhaps these people are going to be a bit special. By paying such leaders this compliment, we also inadvertently raise the bar too high.
It's worth a read. I've only posted half the story as it's long.
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