If the ALP elects Julia Gillard tomorrow, it will deprive Muslims of the sanctimonious more-feminist-than-thou line “Well, of course, there have been female leaders of so many Muslim countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia – and Australia is yet to have a female Prime Minister.”

Of course, the rise to power of the widows and daughters of charasmatic (and dead) male leaders does not reflect the overall status of women in those societies.

It’s interesting that so far, the obligatory #firstfemalepm tag to the #spillard has blended in with the general tummult. (Although not to my daughter, who is yelping about “history in the making!” as part of a bid for a #dayoffschool and #triptoparliamenthouse.

I always get stroppy with people who respond to campaigns about Pakistani rape victims in jail for adultery with “but Pakistan has had a female Prime Minister.” And I don’t suggest that Australia has anything like the same level of gender inequality.

But I hope we don’t end up responding to discussions of (say) sexual harassment in the workplace (kinda takes the fun out of shopping at DJs, doesn’t it?) with “But we’ve got a woman Prime Minister!”

#Firstfemalepm will be a momentous event, if/when if happens – but it won’t signify an overall, society-wide victory for women’s rights.

Or, as my daughter commented (in between whimpering “If you loved me, you’d let me go!”), “It does and it doesn’t – you know?”