This article reminds me of a former neighbour who commented when she was saturating her garden with the hose one day that "She was hoping to bring on rain". The sky remained blue and the sun continued to shine brightly.

The election has thankfully been free of 'gender' politics despite the attempts of the few usual suspects to bring it on. Good, may things continue as they are.

Agreed Cornflower.

It has a smell of

'Watch all the men come out now and comment on Julia's dress, watch how they treat her differently than a male politician, men cant handle a woman in power, watch how they try to bring her down!'

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'Any moment now'

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'Any moment now'

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'I promise they will, just you wait!'

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'Hey look at that sexist Tony Abbott, he needs to appeal to women more. Hey look how stupid he looks in his budgie smugglers'.

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See, I told you. Women leaders have such a hard time in this misogynistic society.

PS: Why does Tony Abbott have to 'appeal to women' and 'chase the female vote', but men just have to accept Julia Gillard as is, and if they don't like her or her policies, it's assumed it's a gender thing?

What is most annoying is the assumption that women will vote for another women purely on a gender basis, and that Tony Abbott has to appeal to the female voter. Why?

Why do these candidates have to appeal to any one gender and not both (the people).

Does gender influence approach or expectations on essential policy matters? Even if it did have a minor influence, the gender of the leader is irrelevant as far as policy making at the Party level goes. There is no reason to expect a man or a woman won't be cognisant or across all the issues.

at least in this campaign women members of parliament are visible, saying something (whether we agree with them or not) and are not being sidelined into that great category of the irrelevant. contrast this with the (bleak) united kingdom election of 2010: the only visible women being 'wife of' - the then conservative opposition leader, the 'wife' being ignominiously labelled according to her husband's family name - samcam (her given name samantha, his family name cameron); the 'wife' of the then prime minister at least being given her whole given name, albeit comment on her toes being at the top of the agenda. the third 'political wife' - wife of the leader of the liberal-democrats - was referred to by her whole (own) name - not that of her spouse, and declined to participate in the election saying she was busy with job and family (what a relief!).

incidentally, meredith burgmann's thoughtful article in this am's *sydney morning herald* is worth reading ...

What may or may not have happened in the UK is irrelevant. The reality is that the Australian federal election has not been diverted onto gender and it is not likely to be. Surely that is cause for rejoicing, not sour grapes.

That women do not slavishly vote according to gender is hardly news. It was the case in the recent US Presidential election and the same has been the case in Australian elections for instance, the last Queensland election where Anna Bligh was returned as Premier.

Houllie

Julia needs to find some hideous polka-dotted two piece. When people actually comment about it, she can then play the victim. She just needs to learn how to bait people properly.