In 1921 Edith Cowan became the first woman in Australia elected to a state parliament, and sent the media into an ideological frenzy.
The Bulletin published a cartoon of her scrubbing washing in parliament, with the caption “THE NEW ‘HOUSE’ WIFE”. The Age commented that if women became politicians “there would be many dreary and neglected homes throughout the country sacrificed on the altar of political ambition”.
But times have changed, right?
Fast-forward to 2014, and Jacqui Lambie is sitting in Hobart radio station Heart FM with breakfast hosts Kim and Dave.
By the time Ms Lambie asked a 22-year-old caller if he was “well-hung”, she had answered the type of question Mrs Cowan was asked in the 1920s; that of personal and family life – albeit in a slightly more colourful fashion.
The new Palmer United Party senator had right wing commentators calling “reverse sexism” on her comments, comparing them to PM Tony Abbott’s wink.
But Mr Abbott’s sleazy facial contortion was not in response to questions about his own sex life, rather the plight of an elderly tax-payer.
I don’t think her comments were in great taste, but why was she asked about her personal life in the first place? She’s a senator, not a reality TV contestant. It seems the Australian media has always had an obsession with the family and personal lives of women in politics.
When Julia Gillard was still an MP for the Labor Party, a photo shoot in her home sparked debate about her housekeeping skills, an empty fruit bowl was also symbolism for an empty uterus. These sorts of comments, along with her decision not to marry partner Tim Mathieson, plagued her political career.
Ms Lambie’s colleague Labor Senator Penny Wong told The Guardian earlier this year that this was also her experience.
“There is more scrutiny of women. We get questions men simply don’t get. I will share what I want to share.”
Perhaps Ms Lambie should have followed Ms Wong’s lead, but until women are equal to men and asked the same questions as men (also – paid the same to do the same job, are not judged solely on their clothing/hair/make-up, are no longer abused or killed by their spouses, are no longer raped – I could go on) calling her comments “reverse-sexism” is a bit rich.
Jemimah Clegg 
2 responses to “Women in politics are still judged on their personal lives, “well-hung” or not”
I think we have come a fair way but unfortunately not far enough. Questions are definitely dictated on sex when its not necessary for them to be. The photo of Julia Gillard and the comments that followed honestly just make me cringe. They way Penny Wong handles herself is admirable but its a shame that it has to continue to be that way.
I agree with Natarjsha on this one – it’s a shame we are still so preoccupied with gender divide in the Parliament. So much of the media commentary around Gillard’s exit last year was that she “paved the way” for future generations of women, rather than focusing on all of the other positive aspects of her tenure. (Ie. NDIS..etc).