Bewitched and Bedevilled

From being labelled 'deliberately barren' to being criticised for her dress sense, hair colour and body, Julia Gillard's Prime Ministership was one of the most controversial Australia has ever known - with much of it played out outside the arena of policies and politics. Bewitched & Bedevilled looks at the reasons Julia Gillard, our first female Prime Minister, was so vehemently attacked, the varied reactions to being a female prime minister, her unfortunate position at the receiving end of a barrage of sexism and misogyny and how much this played a part in her political problems, her public perception and her ultimate undoing. This book will bring together some of Australia's wittiest and most incisive writers and commentators - all of them women. It delves into much more complexissues than the other works on Gillard out there, from her pornification, to looking at how women leaders are expected to play a 'nurturing role' in the treatment of the marginalised in society, to more personal reflections on what Gillard's Prime Ministership meant to Australian women. Bewitched andBedevilled: Women Write the Gillard Years is an intelligent but accessible analysis of Australia's reaction to the nation's first female Prime Minister from some of Australia's leading female voices. With room for outrage, humour, reason and personal reflection, it's a must-read for anyone looking to contemplate 'The Gillard Years'. Contributors include: Jane Caro; Eva Cox; Clementine Ford; Claire Harvey; Ruth Hessey; Shakira Hussein; Carol Johnson; Kathy Lette; Cathy Lumby; Emily Maguire; Helen Pringle; Helen Razer; Tracey Spicer and transcripts from Gillard's misogyny speech, Anne Summer's My Speech: Her Rights at Work. The Political Persecution of Australia's First Female Prime Minister (R-rated version) and Chloe Hooper's On The Road with Julia Gillard.