woman card
{{Short description|Metaphor for rhetorical use of one's female identity}}
{{Redirect|Sex card|the also so-called advertising cards|tart card}}
The "woman card" is a metaphor referring to the exploitation of one's female identity for rhetorical gain. A person who employs this tactic is said to be "playing the woman card". Variant usages are "sex card" and "gender card".
Meaning
The term denotes a woman's mention of her gender to gain advantage in a discussion{{cite news |location=Canada |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/playing-the-sex-card-to-get-ahead/article4200786/ |title=Playing the sex card to get ahead |work=The Globe and Mail |date=9 September 2011 |accessdate=May 18, 2017 |last1=Eichler |first1=Leah }} or a claim of another's sexism or misogyny intended to garner support from third parties.{{cite web |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/15/clinton-on-gender-im-not-exploiting-anything/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117043832/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/15/clinton-on-gender-im-not-exploiting-anything/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 17, 2007 |title=Clinton on gender: 'I'm not exploiting anything' |publisher=CNN |date=November 15, 2007 |accessdate=May 18, 2017}} Miranda Devine has stated that "[p]laying the gender card is the pathetic last refuge of incompetents and everyone in the real world knows it".{{cite web |first=Miranda |last=Devine |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/miranda-devine-gender-card-is-a-loser/news-story/19de329b255ff5739321d605b1fa24cf |title=Gender card is a loser for Gillard |work=Daily Telegraph |date= |accessdate=May 18, 2017}} Others have argued that an accusation of "playing the woman card" may be used to dismiss real problems and to undermine the credibility of the person so accused.{{cite journal |last1=Worth |first1=Anna |last2=Augoustinos |first2=Martha |last3=Hastie |first3=Brianne |title="Playing the gender card": Media representations of Julia Gillard's sexism and misogyny speech |journal=Feminism & Psychology |date=February 2016 |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=52–72 |doi=10.1177/0959353515605544 |s2cid=146555210}}
Politics
Accusations of playing the woman card often occur in politics and elections. In 2012, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a speech in the Australian Parliament accusing Opposition leader Tony Abbott of misogyny. Gillard's speech received international attention and was widely praised,{{cite web |author=Women's Politics |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/9596614/Julia-Gillards-blistering-attack-on-sexism-was-her-best-card.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010035414/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/9596614/Julia-Gillards-blistering-attack-on-sexism-was-her-best-card.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |title=Julia Gillard's blistering attack on sexism was her best card |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date= |accessdate=June 19, 2017}}{{cite news |last=Angynl |first=Chloe |title=It's good to see Julia Gillard tackle sexism head-on |newspaper=The Guardian |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/09/julia-gillard-tackle-sexism |accessdate=October 11, 2012 |date=October 9, 2010}}{{cite news |last=Lester |first=Amelia |title=Ladylike: Julia Gillard's Misogyny Speech |url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/10/julia-gillards-misogyny-speech.html |accessdate=January 20, 2013 |newspaper=The New Yorker |date=October 9, 2012}} including, reportedly, by a number of foreign political leaders including François Hollande,{{citation |title=World leaders praise Gillard sexism speech at ASEM |date=November 8, 2012 |url=http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/news/news-from-australia/australia-world-news/world-leaders-praise-gillard-sexism-speech.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021105724/http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/news/news-from-australia/australia-world-news/world-leaders-praise-gillard-sexism-speech.htm |url-status=dead |publisher=AustralianTimes.co.uk |accessdate=October 21, 2013 |archivedate=October 21, 2013}}. Barack Obama,{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/now-its-obamas-turn-to-raise-gillard-speech-20121109-293di.html |title=Now it's Obama's turn to praise Gillard speech |last=Coorey |first=Phillip |date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=Fairfax Media |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |accessdate=October 21, 2013}}{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/obama-aware-of-misogyny-speech-20121109-293il.html |title=Obama aware of misogyny speech |last=Grattan |first=Michelle |date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=Fairfax Media |author-link=Michelle Grattan |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}} and Hillary Clinton.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4026461.htm |agency=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |first=Sarah |last=Ferguson |author-link=Sarah Ferguson (journalist) |date=June 16, 2014 |title=Hillary Clinton says 'no place for sexism in politics'}} Some local commentators (predominantly conservative), however, accused Gillard of playing the gender card.{{cite web |author=Federal Politics |url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/gillard-reveals-true-nature-in-playing-gender-card-20121010-27cnq.html |title=Gillard reveals true nature in playing gender card |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=October 10, 2012 |accessdate=June 19, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/gender-card-backfires-for-julia-gillard/news-story/95cbdaf7b126f07a986243b81199e319 |title=Gender card backfires for Julia Gillard |work=The Australian |date= |accessdate=May 18, 2017}}
In the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries former President of the United States Bill Clinton was viewed to have played the gender card in order to garner support for his wife Hillary{{cite web |first=Maureen |last=Dowd |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/opinion/08dowd.html?mcubz=0 |title=Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House? |work=The New York Times |date=January 9, 2008 |accessdate=June 10, 2017}} and likewise accused Barack Obama of using the race card against them.{{cite web |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/22/bill-clinton-obama-camp-played-the-race-card-on-me/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423081258/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/22/bill-clinton-obama-camp-played-the-race-card-on-me/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 23, 2008 |title=Bill Clinton: Obama camp 'played the race card on me' |publisher=CNN |date=April 22, 2008 |accessdate=May 18, 2017}} During the 2016 United States presidential election campaign, Republican Party nominee Donald Trump accused his rival, the Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton of playing the woman card stating she was "constantly playing the woman card. It's the only way she may get elected."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/jan/03/trump-hillary-clinton-constantly-playing-the-woman-card-video |title=Trump: Hillary Clinton 'constantly playing the woman card' |work=The Guardian |date= 3 January 2016|accessdate=May 18, 2017}} Clinton responded, stating "if fighting for women's healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in".{{cite web |author=Careers |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-on-playing-the-gender-card-2016-4 |title=Hillary Clinton on 'playing the gender card' |work=Business Insider |date=April 12, 2016 |access-date=May 18, 2017}} Afterwards, Clinton's campaign started to issue plastic cards which said "Woman Card" based on the MetroCard from New York City, to donors who gave at least $5 to her campaign.{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2016/04/29/clinton-issuing-woman-cards/ |title=Hillary Clinton's Campaign Is Now Issuing Actual 'Woman Cards' |work=Fortune.com |date= |accessdate=May 18, 2017}} The plan was viewed as a marketing success and a backfire from Trump, as it earned Clinton $2.4 million.{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/11/hillary-clinton-woman-card-161103104753944.html |title=Hillary Clinton and the 'woman card' |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date= |accessdate=May 18, 2017}}
During the 2017 French presidential election, Front National candidate Marine Le Pen was viewed as using her gender to soften views of the Front National, as well as through modernization of the party's image.{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/why-marine-le-pen-finally-decided-to-run-as-a-woman |title=Why Marine Le Pen Finally Decided To Run As A Woman |publisher=Buzzfeed News |date= 20 April 2017 |accessdate=May 18, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/202349-The-woman-card |title=The woman card |publisher=The News |date=May 4, 2017 |accessdate=May 18, 2017}} Le Pen's candidacy was also cited as an example where feminists who claim they vote for candidates because they are female, refused to do so.{{cite web |author=Read |url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/by-their-own-logic-feminists-should-support-marine-le-pen/# |title=By their own logic, feminists should support Marine Le Pen |work=The Spectator |date= May 2017|accessdate=May 18, 2017}}