Jacinda Ardern's perfect response to awkward marriage question

Twitter users are fuming after the New Zealand Prime Minister was asked an awkward marriage question during an interview – but Jacinda Ardern handled it like a pro.

As if we needed another reason to love her, the mum, who became the first New Zealand prime minister to give birth whilst in office, and only the second ever elected head of government to do so, fielded an awkward question about marriage in an interview with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire.

Having spoken about the more serious topics of policy and politics, the interview then decided to quiz Jacinda on her relationship, and her claims of being a feminist.

“Can you imagine asking your partner, Clarke Gayford, to marry you? Or will you wait for him to ask you?” Victoria Derbyshire asked.

While she was clearly surprised by the question, Jacinda laughed it off and answered it perfectly.

“I would not ask, no,” she responded.

“You’re a feminist?” the presenter pushed.

“Absolutely I’m a feminist,” Jacinda said. “But no, I want to put him through the pain and torture of having to agonise about that question himself. That’s letting him off the hook, absolutely not.”

“Ok, fair enough, we await that day,” the awkward encounter ended.

While the Kiwi PM gave the perfect answer, viewers were not impressed with the fact she was asked the question at all.

“How is this a relevant question?” one person tweeted.

“Since when was the entry requirements of feminism linked to marriage proposals,” another wrote.

Even New Zealand political commentator Bryce Edwards said the PM was clearly surprised by the question.

“Certainly a lot of New Zealanders would see such probing of the prime minister about her relationship with her partner and her plans for marriage as being inappropriate,” Edwards told The Guardian.

The issue of female politicians getting quizzed about their family plans is one also experienced in Australia, as various women in parliament highlighted today.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young spoke out about the abuse that female politicians face on a daily basis, from both the public and from within the party room. She highlighted the fact that a woman’s family status is questioned more than that of her male colleagues.

“I know male colleagues have had their families dragged into issues. It’s not like it doesn’t happen to them, and it’s appalling,” she told News.com.au.

“But I do think the relationship and family statuses of women are far more up for public discussion and debate than men in politics. It’s fair game.”

Julia Gillard was also repeatedly questioned about not being married and not having children, during her time in both Opposition and as PM.

It’s not the first time the New Zealand mum has made headlines for expertly juggling family life and being a world leader.

She made history in September by bringing newborn daughter Neve to the United Nations general assembly meeting.

She was pictured cuddling up to her baby, before she spoke at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit.

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