Misogyny Speech

Prior to her speech, Gillard had received backlash from the Australian Media and members of the official Opposition Party that targeted her gender.[2] Bill Heffernan said she “was unfit for leadership because she was deliberately barren".[3] Her personal life also faced scrutiny, particularly as she was unmarried and childless.[4] Former Liberal party member, Sophie Mirabella, said “ You won't need his [ex-PM Kevin Rudd's] taxpayer-funded nanny, will you?” regarding her ousting of the previous Prime Minister. Additionally, a Coalition fundraiser included a satirical menu with a dish described as “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail - Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & a Big Red Box.” [4]

Gillard also faced criticism for her actions as leader, reportedly being “characterized as unseemly and unduly brutal for a woman”.[5] There were also several instances of “hateful attacks from anonymous critics, as a plethora of pornographic and degrading images of the prime minister circulated on web sites, e-mail, and social media”[5]

The Opposition Leader at the time, Tony Abbott, had risen in parliament with a motion to have Peter Slipper removed as Speaker over crude and sexist texts Slipper had sent to an aide.[6] Abbott stated that every day Gillard supported Slipper was "another day of shame for a government which should already have died of shame".[7] Gillard made statements in support of Slipper and linked Abbott's motion to remarks made by Alan Jones in the then-recent Alan Jones shame controversy.[8][9] Gillard said that "every day in every way" Abbott was sexist and misogynist.[1][10]

Within the speech, Gillard noted a number of statements Abbott had previously made. In an interview Abbott had stated, "If it's true, Stavros [the interviewer], that men have more power generally speaking than women, is that a bad thing?" When another person present at this interview stated they wanted their daughter to have as much opportunity as their son, Abbott responded, "Yeah, I completely agree, but what if men are by physiology or temperament, more adapted to exercise authority or to issue command?" Gillard also said that in March 2004, Abbott stated, "Abortion is the easy way out" and that he had stood next to a sign "ditch the witch" in reference to her political role.[11]

The speech was criticised by some Australian journalists but attracted widespread interest and positive attention in feminist blogs and social media. Expat Chloe Angyal wrote for Britain's The Guardian that the speech tackled "sexism head-on" and was a "masterful, righteous take-down"[12] and similar opinions were expressed by other expatriate Australian journalists.[8][13][14] Britain's Daily Telegraph women's editor said that Gillard had cleverly shifted the focus of the news story with "an impressive set of insults".[15] Within a week, a YouTube version of the speech had one million views.[16] As of 2020 the ABC news video has 3.4 million views.[17] The context of the Labor Party's support for Peter Slipper, however, meant that commentary from domestic journalists was far more critical, with Michelle Grattan writing "it sounded more desperate than convincing", Peter Hartcher that Gillard "chose to defend the indefensible" and Peter van Onselen that the government had "egg on their collective faces".[18][19] The public reaction was also polarised: approval ratings of Gillard and Abbott both improved following the speech.[20][21]

Gillard told media that she had been approached by world leaders who congratulated her on the speech at the 2012 Asia-Europe Meeting, including French President François Hollande and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.[22] Gillard told press that United States President Barack Obama had also raised her speech when she phoned to congratulate him for his victory in the 2012 United States election.[23][24] Two years after the speech, Hillary Clinton said that Gillard had "faced outrageous sexism", and that she found the speech very striking.[25]

After Gillard's speech went viral, the Macquarie Dictionary updated its definition of the term "misogyny".[34][35] Previously defined as a "hatred of women" by the Australian dictionary, misogyny now encompasses "entrenched prejudice against women".[36] Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre in Canberra, Amanda Laugesen, said the broader definition has a long history, with the original Oxford English Dictionary defining misogyny as "hatred or dislike or prejudice against women" and including examples dating back to the 19th century.[37]

Australia-born Cornell University philosopher Kate Manne uses Gillard's speech as a central, clarifying example in her 2017 book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. In the book, she writes that Gillard's use of the word "misogyny" is the use that has been common among feminists for years. The example of Gillard's speech serves to clarify that misogyny and sexism are distinct concepts, designating two branches of patriarchy: sexism serves to rationalize and justify the patriarchal order, while misogyny polices and enforces patriarchal order, according to Manne.[38]

In a 2019 Forbes article, Gillard said when talking about the reaction to the speech that she felt "that speech helps deal with those frustrations and unlock a little sense of power. It is possible to stand up and name and shame sexism and misogyny,” and that women the speech reached felt connected to it because it is similar to how they would wish to respond.[39]

The speech was voted by Guardian readers in 2020 as the number one most unforgettable moment in Australian TV history.[40] Gillard has expressed belief that the speech overshadowed other work in her political career: "I'm reconciled with it now and I understand that when people are writing things about me – including writing my obituary, hopefully in many years to come – that it’s going to feature in there."[41]