Julia Gillard has expressed her disappointment at Hillary Clinton’s election loss, while urging women around the world to keep fighting the good fight.
Speaking at the Cosmo Women of the Year Award ceremony today, the former Prime Minister said she was “disappointed” at Republican candidate Donald Trump’s “gut-wrenching” victory.
“I think all of us did want to see that big glass ceiling shattered and have a moment of celebration today,” she said.
Gillard earlier told Cosmopolitan Australia she is a “very big fan” of the Democratic nominee.
“Obviously I’m very committed to seeing women in power and women’s empowerment and I really wanted there to be a message from the United States of America that any office in the world, including president of the United States can be held by a woman,” she said.
Despite this, Gillard remains optimistic about the possibility of a female American president in the future.
“So much has changed for women and we’ve got these next bits to fight for and I know we’re going to do it and do it together,” she said during her speech.
For anyone concerned about how Clinton must be feeling today, Gillard assures the former Secretary of State is one resilient woman.
“She’s a tenacious person,” she told Cosmopolitan Australia.
“She’s a very strong person so yes there’ll have to be some time to rest and recuperate and I know she will continue to pursue the causes she believes in so passionately.”
Listen to Mia Freedman, Rosie Waterland, Jessie Stephens and others debriefing about the US election on a special Mamamia Out Loud bonus episode, here. (Post continues after audio):
On a more positive note, Gillard believes that in the future women will not have to fight so hard to earn positions of leadership.
“[One day] it’ll be so common for a woman to become Prime Minister here or to be leading in other nations that we don’t even bother talking about it any more,” she stated.
“So much has already changed for women. I mean, the very fact that I could be Prime Minister is an example of that. But we’ve got to do the rest of the journey, and that does mean seeing women Presidents and Prime Ministers right around the world.
“I want to see the next generation of women getting right in there, so please do. Don’t be deterred.”
Gillard also showed her support of Clinton on Twitter this morning:
Feature image via Getty.
Top Comments
Ugh. I know this comment will most likely be deleted, but why are there so many right wing trolls on a reasonably progressive site? I certainly would not have gone on right wing Trumpy sites and acted smug if Hillary had won. Yes, yes, I know, echo chambers, freeze peach etc. Why are you here?
This is why everyone got it so wrong.
If you want to live in a bubble and not hear what the other side has to say don't act surprised when Trump gets voted in.
Maybe if sites like MM didn't moderate their comments so heavily and allowed more of the other side of debates to be heard, instead of just what they want to hear, this whole situation playing out right now would not have been such a shock to you all.
I have no idea, I really don't have an answer for that. It's the same sort of people who go onto feminist websites with the intention putting up MRA type comments. I would never go onto a site that I knew was dominated by people who hold a totally contrary view to me as it would just make me cross and sad and depressed.
Actually, a few weeks ago some who came on here did give me a good insight. She talked about how she had read something saying that men who go onto feminist websites with their MRA type nonsense actually receive sexual gratification from riling up a bunch of women. Since they're so incapable of having an effect on women in real life, as women naturally spurn them for the morons that they are, they go online, tell some woman that she's so ugly no one would even rape her and then furiously masturbate over the predictable ensuing reaction from women who are thoroughly fed up with such comments.
I could see the same being played out here.
Yeah, can't see that being remotely accurate.
Conservative women are the new enemy of all women. This result has opened our eyes to the reality of that.
Thats right.A lot of women voted for Trump