When some people speak of Prime Minister Gillard they do so with the particular contempt and dislike they usually reserve for women. People often spoke about Margaret Thatcher in the same way. When they call Gillard’s judgment into question – one of the most common charges levelled against her – they draw on centuries-old prejudices that hold that women can’t be trusted. They couldn’t be trusted with money, so for years banks held out against appointing them as tellers; they couldn’t be trusted with their children, so had to fight for decades for the right to custody; they couldn’t be trusted to sit in judgment on their fellow citizens, so the right to sit on juries was one of the last civil rights to be extended to women in Australia. Not until the 1980s did all states agree to admit women to jury service. Now it seems women can’t be trusted to govern.

As the Prime Minister displays extraordinary grace under pressure, as she continues to govern the nation in the face of incessant attacks, as she shows admirable commitment and clear-sightedness, male commentators now move to deplore her toughness – an admirable quality in a man – suggesting surely that it is unbecoming in a woman. But Gillard doesn’t only have strength, she has compassion and good humour. And she knows that most women and fair-minded men support her in her program of change and her vision of a fairer society.