The timing of the speech needs to be considered in order to understand it's reasoning and purpose.

Gillard was PM due to having struck a deal with the Greens following the 2010 election where, contrary to expectations, she failed to gain a majority. She needed the Green MP's to support her in order to form government.

During the election, Gillard had given unequivocal promises that she wouldn't introduce a CO2 tax. But the Greens wanted one, and, to get their support, she decided to break her promise and legislate a CO2 tax. Her Prime Ministership never recovered and she floundered in the polls from then on.

By the time of the speech, her polling was a disaster, Abbott was beating her everywhere, and Rudd was beginning to circle having smelt blood in the water.

So what does a leftist women do when her incompetence is revealed? - she plays the damsel in distress card. Although the claim is that these women don't want to use their sex to get ahead, they are more than happy to do so when needs must. So here we have this supposedly brave and strong leader, complaining that the men weren't playing fair and that, as a women she needed to be given special exemption.

The speech obviously played well with the feminist brigade, but the rest of society yawned and the polls continued to unravel. Within a few months, Rudd was going after her position. As such the speech, while beloved in certain circles was a complete failure.

Of course, it wasn't the first time Gillard had played the damsel in distress card. When accused on helping her boyfriend steal funds from the Australian Workers Union, she again claimed that she was just a young (30 yr old !) lawyer who'd been duped by her lover.

She got away with it that time, but the misogyny speech couldn't save her political career as Abbott out-foxed her at every turn.

Tony Abbott "out-foxed her at every turn?"

Hmmmmm. Lets see. He got ousted by Malcolm Turnbull
due to his poor opinion polling and personal unpopularity.
Then he lost his seat to a female - Zali Steggall in 2019.

Not very foxy by anyone's definition!

And of course he is not a misogynist.
He respects any woman who knows her place.

Which part of "he out-foxed her" did you misunderstand?

He ran rings around Gillard. That things unravelled for him down the track doesn't change that fact, despite what the usual suspects might want to believe.

Again, the speech was an attempt to salvage her position against Abbott. As such it was an utter failure, despite what the usual suspects might want to believe.

Deny it as much as you want - however the entire world
disagrees with you. Her speech had an enormous impact.
And that fact is acknowledged even today - ten years
later. Does anyone world-wide even know who Tony Abbott
is/was?

"however the entire world
disagrees with you."

I was going to call that a tad hyperbolic but it's not...it's monumentally hyperbolic.

(oh remember how St Julia pronounced hyperbole as hyperbowl? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xFrOxUFL-c) (or remember the Tali Band? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSctuWTcec )

You just need to look at the polling to see that the speech had basically no affect on the Australian public. Those who supported her, swooned, and those who didn't, yawned. Her support, or lack thereof, in the public continued to be dismal. Rudd smiled and moved in for the kill.