Julia Gillard and a Decade After the Mysogyny Speech
A decade after her infamous speech on misogyny, former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, joined Dr. J. Jarpa Dawuni, Director of the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership, in a fireside chat to discuss her latest book, “Not Now, Not Ever - 10 Years on from the Misogyny Speech.” Howard students, alums, faculty, and staff - including Provost Wutoh- gathered in the undergraduate library to discuss this autobiography written and edited by Gillard and what misogyny means in today's climate.
As Australia’s 27th Prime Minister, Ms. Gillard began her tenure in 2010 when she assumed the position with a commitment to advocate and legislate from a feminist perspective and an awareness of gender discrimination within parliament. Ms. Gillard served as a representative of the Australian Labor Party and is widely known for her misogyny speech to parliament in October of 2012. Currently, she serves as the inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Beyond Blue Chair, and Wellcome, a global charitable foundation based in the UK that supports science to solve urgent worldwide health challenges.
Dr. Dawuni moderated this chat, and she began by inquiring about the Former Prime Minister's intentions behind her momentous speech. Gillard detailed that her speech was an impulsive decision to denounce gender barriers in professional spaces and served as her first time publicly identifying sexism against her leadership following the release of sexist messaging between the Speaker of the House.
"If a man identifies something sexist in a setting like the workplace, he is more likely to be believed because he is not stereotyped to have an ulterior motive."
This speech resonated with women globally and was in response to an accusation from Mr. Tony Abbott, a former Australian politician who served as the 28th Prime Minister of Australia, about her support of a politician accused of sexist misconduct. Dr. Dawuni suggested that often when women have reached their breaking point with discrimination inflicted upon them, their actions against injustice can be described as a "cool, calculated anger" to formally take a position against sexism.
Throughout their dialogue, Ms. Gillard discussed anticipating discomfort when she took office. As Prime Minister, she found that critiques of her leadership became intensely gendered as her term progressed. This momentum found grounding in the recent release of her book, which includes many perspectives from different women, with a thread rooted in intense frustration over the transformation of misogyny over the years. Reflecting on her leadership, Ms. Gillard did not expect to inspire young women today and to engage globally with youth on Tiktok and Social Media.
Following the discussion, Gillard concluded with audience questions on her experiences in leadership, a group photo, and a raffle for six signed copies of her new book.
This collaboration between the Women's Center and former Prime Minister Gillard was the last event in a semester-long series of global engagements with women advocates against gendered-based discrimination.
Note: Not Now, Not Ever - 10 Years on from the Misogyny Speech is currently only available in Australia.
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