The most dangerous place for a woman is to be a functionary serving a man in power as a secretary, chief of staff or a mere adviser. The ratio of danger increases exponentially if that woman is relatively young - and has what in a distant age could be termed "sex appeal "!
Peta Credlin, Prime Minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff is attracting unrelenting flak from both the media and the opposition for the power she apparently holds as the "gatekeeper " to this nation's leader. There is even sniping from within government ranks because some resent messages of criticism being relayed to them by a "mere woman ". It seems that misogyny still lurks in many male hearts.
The position of chief of staff is an essential to the holder of the leadership position in both public companies and functioning governments. It is open to both men and women and it is a form of management control. The person at the top is responsible for the big picture - and his or her chief of staff has the job of dealing with lesser matters, marshaling the appointments roster to achieve a smooth work flow and seeing that the information the boss needs is presented in a useful form.
There is no doubt that Peta Credlin is good at her job. She has the trust of the PM and she is a familiar figure in the halls of power, always immaculately dressed and with a keen eye to detect measures that need correction. She is not given to needless small talk and to some this may be misinterpreted as aloofness. Those entrusted with the position of chief of staff to prime ministers or presidents have a heavy responsibility - and do not take that lightly.
Politics is a world of innuendo. A mischievous thought expressed by a commentator with an axe to grind can often morph into a rumour that achieves credibility as it rolls along, and political enemies are adept at starting rumours that damage their enemies. There seems to be a relentless campaign building to discredit Peta Credlin. The fact that she is an attractive young woman is sure to whet the appetite of the rumour mongers to try and spin some sort of sexual fantasy to achieve an unfavourable public image.
Women who are not elected members of the house but have a commanding role on the periphery of government are always fair game for media attention. Who could possible forget the daily headlines that swirled around Junie Morosi back in the days of the Whitlam government in the 1970's ?
Junie Morosi was born in Shanghai, China and was unmistakably Eurasian. She became an "adviser "to deputy prime minister Jim Cairns - and was constantly by his side. The media suggested an "affair "and Cairns did little to deny this rumour. In the less liberated age of the 1970's this was considered a "scandal " and it did damage to the government. It certainly provided fodder for both the media and the radio shock jocks of that time - and both Cairns and Morosi were rarely missing from the front pages of the national press.
Junie Morosi was not the first woman to cause a stir in parliamentary circles. In 1968 John Gorton was prime minister and his secretary - Ainsley Gotto - was accused of virtually holding ministers to ransom by her rigid control of who got a meeting scheduled with the prime minister. Her "feminity "was questioned by some sections of the media as being too evident - and a leading commentator famously noted that "she wiggles when she walks ". Perhaps there are times when physical beauty becomes a handicap.
It will be interesting to see how this Peta Credlin "sensation " plays out as it runs it's course. Tony Abbott makes a good point that it involves gender inequality - and that it would have been a non event if "Peta "had actually been "Peter "- and a male doing the job of his chief of staff. It seems that sexism is still lurking in the minds of many - and that old truism that "sex sells " is what keeps people buying newspapers and watching television news.
A lot will depend on which way the barometer of public opinion swings. Women could be expected to support a sister doing a public exposure job and getting unfair criticism, but sometimes success can arise the latent emotion of jealousy - with the unexpected ferocity we often see vented on social media.
Eventually, the storm will move on - and probably Peta Credlin will pass into obscurity. She will eventually stand down from the position of chief of staff to a prime minister and resume her private life - and join the ranks of those who held fame for a brief moment of time as the winner of a Miss Australia contest, as a best selling book author - or a subject of passing controversy in the political sphere.
Such is the fate that now shields Junie Morosi from the world !
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