Yahoo Lifestyle Julie Bishop Does Not Think Feminism Is A “Useful” Term
Julie Bishop. Photo: Getty Images
Julie Bishop, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Australia’s only female cabinet member, has told media that she doesn’t think of herself as a feminist. Speaking at the launch of the Women In Media club in Canberra, Bishop said in her speech that “[feminism] is not a term that I find particularly useful these days.”
“It’s not a way I describe myself,” Bishop said, when asked if she considered herself a feminist. Instead, she said that was “first and foremost a parliamentarian.”
Bishop, who many believe could be Australia’s future Prime Minister, also said that former PM Julia Gillard turned herself into a victim, and that that was a path that Bishop would never go down.
In the speech, Bishop said: “[Gillard] was judged on her competence… and sadly I think for the position of Prime Minister she turned herself into a victim and portrayed herself as a victim. That was her choice," the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The speech has caused controversy among Opposition parties.
“Feminism is about equality,” Greens Senator Larissa Waters commented after Bishop’s speech. “Why is it so hard for the Abbott Government’s most senior female members to be part of that?”
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