Who is the real Julia? When are we going to see the authentic Gillard? Why has she let some pollie persona mask her true feelings, when what we want to see is Julia, in the flesh, warts and all?
This has been the tripe that has dogged the new Prime Minister throughout this election. And it certainly has not been helped by Gillard herself popping up like Where’s Wally minus the stupid hat yelling: “Here’s the real me!”
But Gillard should take a look at a survey published by a UK website that states female bosses need to be “authentic” in the workplace. Now you, smart reader, would normally dismiss this type of survey as dross. For a start it is from the UK and carried out by a recruitment firm. It also makes some big claims that two thirds of women preferred a male boss because they were perceived as more “straight talking”.
What is more, a quarter of women accused female bosses of backstabbing and bringing their personal lives into the office. And a third said women with power were loose cannons who often felt threatened by colleagues.
News.com.au then interviewed an editor from sister company Career One described as a workplace expert. Editor Kate Southam claims that female managers need to be aware of their “natural strengths and areas of improvement because they lack natural role models at work”.
“You need to be authentic … you need to use your natural strengths,” she said.
It might be dross but this is the issue that has dogged Gillard and other female leaders. Be authentic, women keep being told. But what the hell does an authentic female leader look like? You act tough, you are not feminine. You yell? You are a shrew. You insist on high standards? You are not a nurturing care giver.
I have heard all this before. As any clear thinking person will tell you, there are many incompetent, backstabbing male bosses in the workplace who never talk straight and are threatened by all and sundry. But what makes us focus in such a negative way on female bosses?
At times I have felt sorry for Gillard. Not only does she have to grapple with becoming prime minister, but she is our first female prime minister. That means we, as a nation, can hang all sorts of preconceived notions on her. We thought we were ready for a female prime minister, but with this sort of nonsense running on the front page of one of the biggest news sites in the country, maybe some sections of our community are not.
Everyone has been asking to see the real Julia. But maybe we are — and those among us that feel threatened by smart female leaders don’t like it.
This story first appeared on SmartCompany
Well said. I can’t even begin to list the double-standards I’ve seen in this campaign. Its depressing.
This article makes some valid points.
And how convenient this UK based survey appears in a News Ltd publication now, during an election campaign with a Labour female PM? (am I getting too cynical??). One has to wonder if we would have had this sort of nonsense if the female in question had been a Liberal? And why hasn’t Julie Bishop been put under the same sort of scrutiny as Julia Gillard? Afterall, if Tony gets elected, she is, as they say, one heartbeat away from being PM.
Re the issue over male v female, both can be just as bad (and good!).
Julia is a tough female–that’s what we want in a Prime Minister.
Not some feely feely nonsense.
Women are renown for commonsense. And that’s what we are getting with Julia.
I want someone who can add up and reject projects that do not add to the country’s well being.
I want a Prime Minster who understands how education is vitally important for every Australian. And who recognises that the future will be different from the past.
We have no idea how important broadband will be for our lives, but we need to invest to-day for the benefits of tomorrow.
Three Posters so far and all ladies, so let me say that I have absolutely no problem with Julia Gillard even if my preference was for Lindsay Tanner, purely on matters of substance. I have not been confused about who the real Julia is, at least no more than any other politician. (One could get confused by Tony Abbott if one actually believed anything he said in public but no, most people know perfectly well what kind of regressive dishonest monster he really is.) That she is ruthless, perhaps a tad too much but who can say what is too much, to the point of merely exploiting Labor factions but how else to gain power in that world? Unfortunately what we still do not know is what exactly she will do with that power. Pretty much the case for every PM before their ascension (except perhaps Gough).
The best overview of JG is by another Julia–Baird–in the current issue of The Monthly.
Real? I say get real.
Gillard is a politician, so by definition she’s an actor and a liar.