Jacinda Ardern’s 60 Minutes interview and the fatberg of sexism faced by powerful women | Chitra Ramaswamy

‘Veteran’ reporter Charles Wooley went light on questions about the New Zealand prime minister’s politics – and hard on how ‘smitten’ he was with her

For anyone who remains in doubt that women in positions of power must constantly resist being sucked into a giant, marauding fatberg of sexism and misogyny, Wide Awoke gives you 60 Minutes: an Australian TV interview with New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Or, as it might be hashtagged, #TheShitWomenDealWith.

Behold reporter Charles Wooley – referred to as a “veteran reporter”, which is supposed to denote experience, but in this instance could be read to mean a) that he should know better and b) that he has probably been getting away with asking “tough questions” for ages – saying he is “smitten” with Ardern. This seemed to be less because she is the first New Zealand PM to march in the country’s gay pride parade or because she marked her first 100 days in government by setting out a cornerstone policy to alleviate child poverty and more because he deemed Ardern “nice”. Or, as the interview promo put it, “young, honest and pregnant”, which suggests that growing a foetus in your belly is a cute personality trait, as opposed to, you know, the precursor to all our existence. And bloody hard work.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2EWE3eH