Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand Prime Minister yesterday.
London:
The BBC admitted on Friday that it was wrong to write about Jacinda Ardern’s shocked resignation as New Zealand Prime Minister with the headline: “Can women have everything?”
The since-deleted headline was shared on Twitter on Thursday with a link to an article by BBC World, the British broadcaster’s global newsroom.
Angry commentators contrasted it with BBC headlinewriters’ sexless coverage of male politicians, including Boris Johnson, the thrice-married father of seven who resigned as Britain’s Prime Minister last year.
One called it “gorgeous sexism,” while others accused the BBC of “misogyny.”
The headline was later changed to say, “Departure Reveals Unique Pressure on PM.” The story mentioned Ardern’s life as a working mother of a young child.
“We quickly realized that the original headline didn’t fit the story and changed it accordingly. We also deleted the associated tweet,” a BBC spokesman told AFP.
Ardern, 42, who has guided New Zealand through natural disasters, the Covid pandemic and the worst terrorist attack on record, said she ran out of “enough in the tank”.
While Ardern hasn’t shrunk from speaking out about the rigors of office, she’s been quick to ward off sexist questions.
In November, at a joint press conference with their Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin, they were asked by a male journalist if they would meet because “they are the same age and get a lot of things in common there”.
Referring to former US and New Zealand leaders, Ardern asked, “Has anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were the same age?”
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)