Australia's 'Macho' Prime Minister Points Finger At Sexism Australia's 'Macho' Prime Minister Points Finger At Sexism World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: December 12, 2014 12:10 IST EMAIL COMMENTS File photo of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (Press Trust of India) Sydney: Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was famously accused of misogyny by former leader Julia Gillard, today suggested that sexism was behind criticism of his female chief-of-staff. Abbott's office has battled falling polls in recent weeks and some within the conservative government's ranks have complained that his advisor Peta Credlin holds too much power. "Do you really think that my chief-of-staff would be under this kind of criticism if her name was P-E-T-E-R as opposed to P-E-T-A?" Abbott asked state broadcaster ABC. "I think people need to take a long hard look at themselves with some of these criticisms." Abbott, who has been criticized for only having one woman in his cabinet- Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who reports say has a tense relationship with Credlin- said any complaints about his office should come to him.

"This is the same office which ran a very effective opposition, it's the same office which has got an enormous amount done this year sometimes under very difficult circumstances," he said. Tensions with government MPs emerged this week when Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Abbott's office had knocked back her first request to attend a UN climate conference in Peru, prompting her to ask again. Australia wrestled with the significance of gender in politics under its first female Labor Prime Minister Gillard, whose time in office was marked by criticism of everything from her hairstyles, to her boyfriend and choice of clothing. Gillard became a torchbearer for women around the world in 2012 with her fiery speech about misogyny on the floor of parliament in which she accused then opposition leader Abbott of sexism. The unmarried Gillard said she had been offended by many of Abbott's remarks over the years, including that she should "make an honest woman of herself". Back then, Abbott said it was time "everyone in this parliament moved on from the gender card which so many members of the government have been playing".

Abbott, a fitness fanatic who is also a volunteer surf lifesaver and bush fire fighter, enhanced his macho image when he recently promised to "shirtfront" Russian President Vladimir Putin over the crisis in Ukraine. Julia Gillard accuses Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott of sexism - BBC News BBC News Media playback is unsupported on your device Julia Gillard accuses Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott of sexism 10 October 2012 Last updated at 12:07 BST Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's attack on the 'misogyny' of the leader of the opposition has gone viral. Video of the speech in the Australian parliament, which criticised the behaviour and history of Tony Abbott, has attracted hundreds of thousands of views, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The exchange came amid a scandal over the speaker of Australia's Parliament, Peter Slipper, who sent lurid text messages to a former member of staff. Gillard accused Abbott of hypocrisy when it came to criticising sexism.

Clip courtesy ABC Australia Australia’s ‘macho’ PM points finger at sexism | Free Malaysia Today Australia’s ‘macho’ PM points finger at sexism December 12, 2014 SYDNEY: Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was famously accused of misogyny by former leader Julia Gillard, on Friday suggested sexism was behind criticism of his female chief-of-staff. Abbott’s office has battled falling polls in recent weeks and some within the conservative government’s ranks have complained that his advisor Peta Credlin holds too much power. “Do you really think that my chief-of-staff would be under this kind of criticism if her name was P-E-T-E-R as opposed to P-E-T-A?” Abbott asked state broadcaster ABC. “I think people need to take a long hard look at themselves with some of these criticisms.” Abbott, who has been criticised for only having one woman in his cabinet — Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who reports say has a tense relationship with Credlin — said any complaints about his office should come to him. “This is the same office which ran a very effective opposition, it’s the same office which has got an enormous amount done this year sometimes under very difficult circumstances,” he said.

Tensions with government MPs emerged this week when Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Abbott’s office had knocked back her first request to attend a UN climate conference in Peru, prompting her to ask again. Australia wrestled with the significance of gender in politics under its first female Labor prime minister Gillard, whose time in office was marked by criticism of everything from her hairstyles, to her boyfriend and choice of clothing. Gillard became a torchbearer for women around the world in 2012 with her fiery speech about misogyny on the floor of parliament in which she accused then opposition leader Abbott of sexism. The unmarried Gillard said she had been offended by many of Abbott’s remarks over the years, including that she should “make an honest woman of herself”. Back then, Abbott said it was time “everyone in this parliament moved on from the gender card which so many members of the government have been playing”. Abbott, a fitness fanatic who is also a volunteer surf lifesaver and bush fire fighter, enhanced his macho image when he recently promised to “shirtfront” Russian President Vladimir Putin over the crisis in Ukraine. – AFP Julia Gillard Accuses Tony Abbott Of Sexism - YouTube Julia Gillard Accuses Tony Abbott Of Sexism Want to watch this again later?

Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 10, 2012 A video of the Australian prime minister Julia Gillard accusing the opposition leader of sexism has gone viral. Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of sexism saying she had been offended by his actions over the years, including when he stood next to a sign stating "ditch the witch" and another that described her as "a man's bitch". "If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror," she added.

Category Julia Gillard speech prompts dictionary to change 'misogyny' definition | World news | The Guardian Julia Gillard speech prompts dictionary to change 'misogyny' definition Australian prime minister's impassioned attack on opposition leader's views of women provokes debate over word's meaning Wednesday 17 October 2012 15.46 EDT First published on Wednesday 17 October 2012 15.46 EDT Close This article is 4 years old When Australian prime minister Julia Gillard launched a ferocious attack on the leader of the opposition for his repeated use of sexist language, she was feted by feminists the world over. But critics in Australia rounded on her for supposedly misusing the word misogyny and falsely accusing Tony Abbott of hating women. Now, however, Gillard's critics no longer have semantics on their side. In the wake of the row, the most authoritative dictionary in Australia has decided to update its definition of the word, ruling that a modern understanding of misogyny would indeed imply "entrenched prejudice against women" as well as, or instead of, pathological hatred of them.

Sue Butler, editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, said that, on this occasion, it had failed to keep pace with linguistic evolution. "Since the 1980s, misogyny has come to be used as a synonym for sexism, a synonym with bite, but nevertheless with the meaning of entrenched prejudice against women rather than pathological hatred," she said in a statement. While the Oxford English Dictionary reworded its definition a decade ago, staff at the Macquarie had been alerted to the issue only in the aftermath of Gillard's extraordinary speech in parliament . "Perhaps as dictionary editors we should have noticed this before it was so rudely thrust in front of us as something that we'd overlooked," Butler told the Associated Press. Gillard – Australia's first female leader – accused Abbott, head of the centre-right Liberal party, of repeated instances of sexism and misogyny, including his description of abortion as "the easy way out", his apparent characterisation of Australian women as housewives doing the ironing, and appearances at political rallies in front of posters urging voters to "ditch the witch". She told MPs: "The leader of the opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high office.

Well, I hope the leader of the opposition has got a piece of paper and he's writing out his resignation because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror." Abbott had sparked the Labor prime minister's fury by calling for the speaker of parliament, Peter Slipper, to be sacked over a series of sexist and vulgar texts he had sent to a former member of staff. Slipper has since resigned as speaker. Seized with indignation and pointing her finger across the despatch box, she retorted: "I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. And the government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever." In an attempt to defend himself, Abbott has claimed the attack was part of a government smear campaign. His supporters have also accused Gillard of hyperbole, citing the Macquarie Dictionary as proof that, when she claimed Abbott was a misogynist, she was saying he had a visceral hatred of the opposite sex. Those figures have not welcomed the dictionary's decision to expand its definition, and Butler said she had received letters accusing it of a political move.

"It would seem more logical for the prime minister to refine her vocabulary than for the Macquarie Dictionary to keep changing its definitions every time a politician mangles the English language," Fiona Nash, a senator in Abbott's coalition, said. Speaking to the Australian newspaper, the manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne, also criticised the decision. "If Macquarie changes its definition of misogyny to something other than what it is, it undermines Macquarie Dictionary in its entirety," he said. "The prime minister knew when she used the term misogyny that she was calling Tony Abbott a women hater and she should bear the burden of that vicious personal smear." Gillard's impassioned speech endeared her to feminists throughout the world, with media in Britain, the US and elsewhere praising her for arguably the most outspoken attack on sexism in political life in history. In France, her attack was lauded as an impressive and "implacable tirade", while the New Yorker said that, while her motivation may have been political, Gillard had started a discussion about "something much more important" in the process. In Australia, however, her performance received rather more mixed reviews, with many concerned about what they saw as her attempt to defend Slipper.

Much of the mainstream media wrote off Gillard's speech as a disaster, with one commentator claiming she would "rue yet another bad call" and another decrying her "flawed" judgment, which, they said, had lost her credibility.

The gender wage gap is barely closing and sexual harassment is rife, but PM's outburst offers feminists fresh hope of change Published: 12 Oct 2012 Tony Abbott, Australia's opposition leader, says Gillard government's policies reflect lack of experience raising children Published: 22 Oct 2012 Tony Abbott, the Australian opposition leader accused of misogyny by the prime minister, Julia Gillard, says if the government had more experience in raising children it would not be reducing 'baby bonus' payment Published: 23 Oct 2012 As the reactions to Mitt Romney's 'binders full of women' gaffe and Julia Gillard's lambasting of her misogynist opposition rival show, women are no longer prepared to put up and shut up Published: 17 Oct 2012 Naomi Wolf, Julie Bindel, Nina Power, Rahila Gupta, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, Bidisha Published: 17 Oct 2012 Transcript of Julia Gillard's speech Transcript of Julia Gillard's speech reddit More Thank you very much Deputy Speaker and I rise to oppose the motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition.

And in so doing I say to the Leader of the Opposition I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not. And the Government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever. The Leader of the Opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high office. Well I hope the Leader of the Opposition has got a piece of paper and he is writing out his resignation. Because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror. That's what he needs. SHARE Julia Gillard made an impassioned speech against Tony Abbott's motion to remove Peter Slipper as Speaker. Photo: Andrew Meares Let's go through the Opposition Leader's repulsive double standards, repulsive double standards when it comes to misogyny and sexism.

We are now supposed to take seriously that the Leader of the Opposition is offended by Mr Slipper's text messages, when this is the Leader of the Opposition who has said, and this was when he was a minister under the last government – not when he was a student, not when he was in high school – when he was a minister under the last government. He has said, and I quote, in a discussion about women being under-represented in institutions of power in Australia, the interviewer was a man called Stavros.

The Leader of the Opposition says “If it's true, Stavros, that men have more power generally speaking than women, is that a bad thing?” Related Content Julia 'badass' Gillard: Slipper resignation just a sidebar And then a discussion ensues, and another person says “I want my daughter to have as much opportunity as my son.” To which the Leader of the Opposition says “Yeah, I completely agree, but what if men are by physiology or temperament, more adapted to exercise authority or to issue command?” Then ensues another discussion about women's role in modern society, and the other person participating in the discussion says “I think it's very hard to deny that there is an underrepresentation of women,” to which the Leader of the Opposition says, “But now, there's an assumption that this is a bad thing.” Advertisement This is the man from whom we're supposed to take lectures about sexism. And then of course it goes on. I was very offended personally when the Leader of the Opposition, as Minister of Health, said, and I quote, “Abortion is the easy way out.” I was very personally offended by those comments. You said that in March 2004, I suggest you check the records.

I was also very offended on behalf of the women of Australia when in the course of this carbon pricing campaign, the Leader of the Opposition said “What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing…” Thank you for that painting of women's roles in modern Australia. And then of course, I was offended too by the sexism, by the misogyny of the Leader of the Opposition catcalling across this table at me as I sit here as Prime Minister, “If the Prime Minister wants to, politically speaking, make an honest woman of herself…”, something that would never have been said to any man sitting in this chair. I was offended when the Leader of the Opposition went outside in the front of Parliament and stood next to a sign that said “Ditch the witch.” I was offended when the Leader of the Opposition stood next to a sign that described me as a man's bitch. I was offended by those things. Misogyny, sexism, every day from this Leader of the Opposition. Every day in every way, across the time the Leader of the Opposition has sat in that chair and I've sat in this chair, that is all we have heard from him.

And now, the Leader of the Opposition wants to be taken seriously, apparently he's woken up after this track record and all of these statements, and he's woken up and he's gone “Oh dear, there's this thing called sexism, oh my lords, there's this thing called misogyny. Now who's one of them? Oh, the Speaker must be because that suits my political purpose.” Doesn't turn a hair about any of his past statements, doesn't walk into this Parliament and apologise to the women of Australia. Doesn't walk into this Parliament and apologise to me for the things that have come out of his mouth. But now seeks to use this as a battering ram against someone else. Well this kind of hypocrisy must not be tolerated, which is why this motion from the Leader of the Opposition should not be taken seriously. And then second, the Leader of the Opposition is always wonderful about walking into this Parliament and giving me and others a lecture about what they should take responsibility for. Always wonderful about that – everything that I should take responsibility for, now apparently including the text messages of the Member for Fisher. Always keen to say how others should assume responsibility, particularly me.

Well can anybody remind me if the Leader of the Opposition has taken any responsibility for the conduct of the Sydney Young Liberals and the attendance at this event of members of his frontbench? Has he taken any responsibility for the conduct of members of his political party and members of his frontbench who apparently when the most vile things were being said about my family, raised no voice of objection? Nobody walked out of the room; no-one walked up to Mr Jones and said that this was not acceptable. Instead of course, it was all viewed as good fun until it was run in a Sunday newspaper and then the Leader of the Opposition and others started ducking for cover. Big on lectures of responsibility, very light on accepting responsibility himself for the vile conduct of members of his political party. Third, Deputy Speaker, why the Leader of the Opposition should not be taken seriously on this motion. The Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition have come into this place and have talked about the Member for Fisher. Well, let me remind the Opposition and the Leader of the opposition party about their track record and association with the Member for Fisher.

I remind them that the National Party preselected the Member for Fisher for the 1984 election, that the National Party preselected the Member for Fisher for the 1987 election, that the Liberals preselected Mr Slipper for the 1993 election, then the 1996 election, then the 1998 election, then for the 2001 election, then for the 2004 election, then for the 2007 election and then for the 2010 election. And across these elections, Mr Slipper enjoyed the personal support of the Leader of the Opposition. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that on 28 September 2010, following the last election campaign, when Mr Slipper was elected as Deputy Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition at that stage said this, and I quote. He referred to the Member for Maranoa, who was also elected to a position at the same time, and then went on as follows: “And the Member for Fisher will serve as a fine complement to the Member for Scullin in the chair.

I believe that the Parliament will be well-served by the team which will occupy the chair in this chamber. I congratulate the Member for Fisher, who has been a friend of mine for a very long time, who has served this Parliament in many capacities with distinction.” The words of the Leader of the Opposition on record, about his personal friendship with Mr [Slipper], and on record about his view about Mr Slipper's qualities and attributes to be the Speaker. No walking away from those words, they were the statement of the Leader of the Opposition then. I remind the Leader of the Opposition, who now comes in here and speaks about apparently his inability to work with or talk to Mr Slipper. I remind the Leader of the Opposition he attended Mr Slipper's wedding. Did he walk up to Mr Slipper in the middle of the service and say he was disgusted to be there? Was that the attitude he took? No, he attended that wedding as a friend. The Leader of the Opposition keen to lecture others about what they ought to know or did know about Mr Slipper.

Well with respect, I'd say to the Leader of the Opposition after a long personal association including attending Mr Slipper's wedding, it would be interesting to know whether the Leader of the Opposition was surprised by these text messages. He's certainly in a position to speak more intimately about Mr Slipper than I am, and many other people in this Parliament, given this long personal association. Then of course the Leader of the Opposition comes into this place and says, and I quote, “Every day the Prime Minister stands in this Parliament to defend this Speaker will be another day of shame for this Parliament, another day of shame for a government which should already have died of shame.” Well can I indicate to the Leader of the Opposition the Government is not dying of shame, my father did not die of shame, what the Leader of the Opposition should be ashamed of is his performance in this Parliament and the sexism he brings with it. Now about the text messages that are on the public record or reported in the – that's a direct quote from the Leader of the Opposition so I suggest those groaning have a word with him. On the conduct of Mr Slipper, and on the text messages that are in the public domain, I have seen the press reports of those text messages.

I am offended by their content. I am offended by their content because I am always offended by sexism. I am offended by their content because I am always offended by statements that are anti-women. I am offended by those things in the same way that I have been offended by things that the Leader of the Opposition has said, and no doubt will continue to say in the future. Because if this today was an exhibition of his new feminine side, well I don't think we've got much to look forward to in terms of changed conduct. I am offended by those text messages. But I also believe, in terms of this Parliament making a decision about the speakership, that this Parliament should recognise that there is a court case in progress. That the judge has reserved his decision, that having waited for a number of months for the legal matters surrounding Mr Slipper to come to a conclusion, that this Parliament should see that conclusion. I believe that is the appropriate path forward, and that people will then have an opportunity to make up their minds with the fullest information available to them.

But whenever people make up their minds about those questions, what I won't stand for, what I will never stand for is the Leader of the Opposition coming into this place and peddling a double standard. Peddling a standard for Mr Slipper he would not set for himself. Peddling a standard for Mr Slipper he has not set for other members of his frontbench. Peddling a standard for Mr Slipper that has not been acquitted by the people who have been sent out to say the vilest and most revolting things like his former Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Senator Bernardi. I will not ever see the Leader of the Opposition seek to impose his double standard on this Parliament. Sexism should always be unacceptable. We should conduct ourselves as it should always be unacceptable. The Leader of the Opposition says do something; well he could do something himself if he wants to deal with sexism in this Parliament. He could change his behaviour, he could apologise for all his past statements, he could apologise for standing next to signs describing me as a witch and a bitch, terminology that is now objected to by the frontbench of the Opposition. He could change a standard himself if he sought to do so.

But we will see none of that from the Leader of the Opposition because on these questions he is incapable of change. Capable of double standards, but incapable of change. His double standards should not rule this Parliament. Good sense, common sense, proper process is what should rule this Parliament. That's what I believe is the path forward for this Parliament, not the kind of double standards and political game-playing imposed by the Leader of the Opposition now looking at his watch because apparently a woman's spoken too long. I've had him yell at me to shut up in the past, but I will take the remaining seconds of my speaking time to say to the Leader of the Opposition I think the best course for him is to reflect on the standards he's exhibited in public life, on the responsibility he should take for his public statements; on his close personal connection with Peter Slipper, on the hypocrisy he has displayed in this House today. And on that basis, because of the Leader of the Opposition's motivations, this Parliament today should reject this motion and the Leader of the Opposition should think seriously about the role of women in public life and in Australian society because we are entitled to a better standard than this.

Advertisement PM's Abbott 'misogynist' blast goes global Email a friend PRIME Minister Julia Gillard's parliamentary broadside against Tony Abbott has made international headlines, with one news blog praising it as an 'epic speech' by a 'badass motherf***er'. The 15 minute impassioned speech, in which Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of "peddling a double standard" and having a long history of sexism and misogyny, was uploaded to YouTube and viewed around the world. The US-based, women-focused Jezebel.com blog, owned by Gawker media and boasting millions of readers, said the video was the "best thing you'll see all day: Australia's female prime minister rips misogynist a new one in epic speech on sexism". "She basically ripped him a new [expletive]," the site said, excerpting several "choice quotes" from the "smackdown" and describing Ms Gillard as "one badass motherf***er". In the UK, the conservative Telegraph described the speech as a "brilliant political pivot", saying she had turned "defending the indefensible" (the Peter Slipper scandal) into a speech that cleverly shifted the focus of the entire news story.

"Watching a female Prime Minister tear apart the male leader of the Opposition with such aplomb, composure - but most importantly armed with a brilliantly impressive set of insults - backed up with dates and times of when each shocking comment was said - was the best card Gillard, ever the political animal, could have played in such a situation," the reporter said. But while the PM was being lauded abroad closer to home her refusal to sack Peter Slipper drew criticism and comments that she "had let down the women of Australia". The Federal Opposition today attacked Prime Minister Julia Gillard's refusal to sack Speaker Peter Slipper - saying the former Speaker showed better judgement. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott used morning radio to attack Ms Gillard's handling of the Slipper affair, claiming she was more concerned about her parliamentary numbers than principles. Deputy Liberal Leader Julie Bishop said Mr Slipper's resignation was “yet another grubby political deal” that was “reminiscent of the Prime Minister's grubby deal to put Peter Slipper into the position of Speaker in the first place”.

“Instead of being remembered as Australia's first female prime minister, she'll be remembered as the prime minister who let down the women of Australia when she was put to the test,” Ms Bishop said. Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce said the Government members were utter hypocrites for “one day banging on” about sexism and then voting to keep a sexist MP as Speaker. Liberal senator Eric Abetz joined the attack: “We had Ms Gillard defending Peter Slipper all day yesterday until Peter Slipper came to his own conclusion that his position was untenable.” Some MPs also realised their most private communications might now be open to scrutiny and judgement, and Queensland Liberal Andrew Laming admitted some of his texts might not pass. “I wouldn't be able to stand by them, I suspect. They're personal, many of them would be incredibly embarrassing. It'd be extremely hard to have those released,” Mr Laming said.

Asked if embarrassing messages might cost him parliamentary office he said: “If it came to that and they were released and that was the view of the public when they saw those text messages, I would have to wear that, absolutely.” Health Minister Tanya Plibersek defended the Government's decision not to support yesterday's no-confidence motion in Mr Slipper. But she condemned the former Speaker's text messages. “The Parliament of Australia is not a kangaroo court,” Ms Plibersek said. “It's not a Star Chamber. “The language was highly inappropriate. I condemned it yesterday before Peter Slipper resigned. So did the Prime Minister, so did all of us on the Labor side of Parliament. And - but it's not a Star Chamber.” Ms Plibersek said the Prime Minister could not possibly have known of Mr Slipper's activities when she backed him as Speaker about 12 months ago. “Well, we don't make judgements based on rumours about people,” she said. Meanwhile overseas, the Guardian also republished the video , although without editorial comment. And a writer for The Spectator said there was "much to admire" about the speech which had left Mr Abbott "carved to pieces".

Popular site Buzzfeed published a series of images and the video the speech, calling it "awesome". In the US a blogger for the New Statesman compared Ms Gillard to the Incredible Hulk , beginning his report with "The Australian PM is angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry." A blogger at the influential Business Insider linked to the video , with the headline "An Australian politician shrinks in embarrassment, as the prime minister destroys him for being a misogynist". The article became a social media hit, spreading across Twitter and Facebook. The speech also made headlines in South Africa , Canada and India . Social media helped spread news of the speech, with "Gillard" hitting the top ten Twitter trends in Australia and also trending internationally. In the UK actor Chris Addison, from hit political satire The Thick of It, retweeted a link to the video saying "This is the best smackdown I've ever seen. Glorious. Advance, Australia Fair!" He then tweeted again: "That Julia Gillard speech is mesmerising. You can see the colour drain from him. Wonderful." Sexism and misogyny: what's the difference? | The panel | Opinion | The Guardian The panel Sexism and misogyny: what's the difference?

An Australian dictionary has changed its definition of misogyny to reflect the fact that it is now used to mean 'entrenched prejudice against women', not just hatred of them. Six feminists tell us what the term means to them Julia Gillard … critics of the Australian PM accused her of misusing the word misogyny and falsely accusing political rival Tony Abbott of hating women. Photograph: Cole Bennetts/Getty Images Wednesday 17 October 2012 12.23 EDT First published on Wednesday 17 October 2012 12.23 EDT Naomi Wolf : Julia Gillard used the word accurately Naomi Wolf Photograph: Unknown I object to more heightened words being appropriated carelessly to make political points: sexism is not in fact misogyny; someone can like women quite a lot in person but be very happy to support systematic discrimination against them (sexism) or to use gender stereotypes against them (sexism). So I am sorry to see the dictionary conflating the terms. Sexism is to misogyny what antisemitism is to Jew-hating. Neither is ever acceptable, but we need precise language to understand and fight injustice effectively. Having said that, Julia Gillard used "misogyny' perfectly accurately .

She said that Tony Abbott described abortion as "the easy way out" and cited his political campaign against Gillard involving posters asking voters to "ditch the witch". The latter, especially, is a time-honoured tradition of true misogyny – stirring up atavistic hatred of the feminine – that goes back to witch-hunts against powerful women in the New World. Her critics, for their part, are asking us to water down our awareness of real woman-hating and accept it as normal in political discourse. "Misogyny" often surfaces in political struggles over women's role, and you can tell because the control of women becomes personalised, intrusive and often sexualised. Misogyny has the amygdala involved – the part of the brain involved in processing emotional responses – there is contempt and violence in it. A public figure who tolerates the systemic under-prosecuting of rape is guilty of serious and unforgivable sexism; making rape jokes or explaining away the damage of rape in public as Congressman Todd Akin did recently in the US, or legislating, as over a dozen US states are now doing, transvaginal probes that are medically unnecessary , simply to sexually punish women for choosing abortion – well, that is misogyny.

Julie Bindel : Sexists are not always misogynists When a man claims that women are naturally maternal, or are by default, bad drivers, he is a sexist. If he was to add that women are only good for a fuck and should be confined to servicing men and their children, it is misogyny. Misogynists are always sexist, but sexists are not always misogynists. For example, if a man says of a woman, "Look at the state of that fat, ugly cow, I wouldn't touch her with yours," then he is a misogynist. It would follow that he does not respect women as equals and is therefore also a sexist. Nina Power : Being misogynist, acting sexist In a moment of idle curiosity a good few years ago, I wondered whether there was an antonym for misogyny. I presumed it would be something like "philogyny" and it was indeed – "fondness towards women". After the definition, a short note in parenthesis: "usage: rare" (and today, too, the spellchecker has red-underlined the word.

Apparently liking women has not become any more popular in the computer age!) What a depressing dictionary note, I thought: we talk about misogyny all the time, and yet the opposite is nowhere to be found. Misogyny, and philogyny for that matter, seems to imply an essential state of being, perhaps an inability to change an outlook, a claim about what that person is. Sexism, on the other hand, is perhaps more often linked to acts and words – "so this person wrote this tweet that was sexist, but it doesn't mean he hates women", that sort of thing. The interchangeable use of the terms may be in keeping with contemporary usage, but we might want to make a quiet plea to hold open the distinction, if only so the antonym for "hating women" might one day usurp its partner in popularity. Rahila Gupta : A murky pond in which misogyny flourishes We all know that sexism is the pond in which misogyny flourishes and because the water is so murky, you sometimes don't even notice how healthily it grows. And because it is growing in water, it sometimes reflects back at you as love instead of hate.

To be specific, sexism is when men let you jump the queue and get on a crowded bus first in Delhi (to confuse matters further, that's called chivalry) and then the poor dears, willy nilly, get crushed up against you as their hands "accidentally" cup your breasts in a frenzy of misogyny. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett : Something darker and angrier Sexism is to misogyny what Benny Hill is to Rush Limbaugh. While sexism demonstrates a disregard and disrespect for women, I always have associated misogyny with something darker, angrier, and more cynical. Things like Page 3 often betray a failure to move with the times, a certain outdated attitude about women's roles that has the potential to be modernised. But educating someone out of the blinkered hatred of misogyny is a monumental challenge. To think, as the Republicans do, that the male half of society should be able to legislate and control the bodies of the female half, well, that can be nothing but misogyny.

Bidisha : Two sexist remarks and one misogynist one At a major literary festival, before an event about military fiction, a posh famous English author smirked to me, "What's the difference between a woman and a piece of toast? You can make soldiers from toast." That's sexist. When boarding a flight from Geneva to London a man followed his wife on to the plane and said at the top of his voice to her, "The plane went down when you got on it," which prompted gasps from everyone around including the cabin staff, while he smirked and the woman looked like she wanted to drop in to a hole in the ground and die. That's sexist. On a train from York to London a woman was talking on the phone in the quiet carriage. A couple near me got cross. "I'll go and tell her it's the quiet carriage," said the man to us all nearby. "Ooh, don't," muttered the wife. "OK then, I'll go and punch her," he said. That's misogynist.

Despite expanding quota system and popular female president, Dilma Rousseff, gender balance lags behind neighbours Published: 19 Oct 2012 Why do some male politicians feel free to direct sexist jokes and misogynistic vitriol towards their female colleagues, asks Laura Bates Published: 24 Jan 2013 The gender wage gap is barely closing and sexual harassment is rife, but PM's outburst offers feminists fresh hope of change Published: 12 Oct 2012 President in Iowa pokes fun of Romney's 'binders full of women' remark and accuses rival of wanting to return to the 1950s Published: 17 Oct 2012 Australia PM Julia Gillard prompts 'misogyny' definition update - BBC News BBC News Australia PM Julia Gillard prompts 'misogyny' definition update 17 October 2012 Close share panel Media captionJulia Gillard accuses Tony Abbott of a long history of misogyny and sexism Prime Minister Julia Gillard's fiery speech on misogyny has prompted Australia's leading dictionary to update its definition of the word.

Footage of Ms Gillard lambasting the opposition's Tony Abbott as a misogynist in parliament last week drew global attention. The Macquarie Dictionary describes misogyny as ''hatred of women''. But editor Sue Butler says it will be expanded to ''entrenched prejudice against women'' in the next edition. "We decided that we had the basic definition, hatred of women, but that's not how misogyny has been used for about the last 20, 30 years, particularly in feminist language," she told ABC radio. A second definition was needed, she said, that was ''slightly stronger than sexist but heading in that direction towards entrenched prejudice rather than a visceral hatred". 'Fairly big party' Ms Gillard, who is Australia's first female prime minister, had berated opposition leader Mr Abbott in parliament. The exchange followed the resignation of Speaker Peter Slipper, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former staff member. The opposition accused Ms Gillard's government of hypocrisy for standing by the Speaker after it was revealed that he used "offensive" language to describe female genitalia in text messages.

Ms Gillard then fired back at Mr Abbott: "If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror." Footage of her speech went viral, with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube within a week. Her comments were applauded in some quarters - mainly outside Australia - for their strong stand on sexism. Domestically, the reaction was mixed, with many upset over her support of Mr Slipper. And some critics accused her of using the wrong word in her attack on Mr Abbott, pointing to the dictionary definition of ''misogyny'' as a pathological hatred of females. That debate drew attention to the need to update the definition, said Ms Butler. "I always think of myself as the person with the mop and the broom and the bucket who's cleaning up the language after the party's over,'' she told ABC News. "And in this case it was a fairly big party, and what was left on the floor was misogyny." The updated definition will be added in the online version of the dictionary this year, and in the next printed edition next year. The decision has drawn some flak for Macquarie, which has received complaints.

One opposition member has accused it of a political move. Neither Ms Gillard - who is currently in Delhi - nor Mr Abbott would comment on the update. Earlier this month Mr Abbott's wife spoke out to defend her husband against sexism claims, saying he was surrounded by "strong capable women". He, for his part, has called Ms Gillard's Labor Party ''masters of nasty personal politics''.

Question: Who famously accused Tony Abbott of sexism and misogyny in 2012?
Answer: Julia Gillard