It's more about Donald Trump than about women

Marc Rudov, author of Under the Clitoral Hood: How to Crank Her Engine Without Cash, Booze, or Jumper Cables, said of the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, "When Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, 'Take out the garbage'."

During Rudov's appearance on a talk show, the superimposed text read: "Rudov: Clinton's 'nagging voice' is reason she lost male vote."

And everyone laughed. How they laughed.

But not much laughing this week as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump, suggested Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly asked him tough questions because she was having her period. Trump was dumped from delivering a keynote address for Red State, an influential conservative group.

Trump has refused to apologise, saying only deviants would have imagined he was talking about Kelly's period.

But the real interrogation here should not be about Trump's craziness – and in particular – his misogyny, which is well-documented over time.

It's whether the climate has changed. Is it really no longer acceptable to smear and slur your opponents based on their gender?

In the case of Donald Trump, it might be more about Trump than about women.

Sure, Red State conference organiser Erick Erickson said: "I think there is a line of decency that even a non-professional politician can cross. Suggesting that a female journalist asking you a hostile question is hormone-related, I think, is one of those lines."

But this is the same bloke who, in 2010, tweeted: "that's it?!?! That's what the feminazis were enraged over? Seriously?!? Wow. That's what being too ugly to get a date does to your brain".

Megan MacKenzie is unconvinced. MacKenzie, a senior lecturer in government and international relations at the University of Sydney whose book Beyond the Band of Brothers: the US military and the myth that women can't fight, says that Erickson's pushback is more about distancing Republicans from Trump.

"They have a vested interest in calling out sexism because they want to distance themselves from Trump," she said.

As MacKenzie says, plenty of Republican hopefuls continue to fly the misogyny flag.

Take Rick Santorum who just three years ago said he was concerned about women in frontline combat.

"I think that can be a very compromising situation where – where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. And I think that's probably – you know, it already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat. But it's – but it's – I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat. And I think that's probably not in the best interests of men, women or the mission."

"The Republican Party didn't blink an eye," said MacKenzie.

"Just wait until you look at their policies; and just wait until they start directing their attention to Hillary Clinton.

"I wish I could be optimistic," she says.

But Anne Summers says she thinks the shift is on. And what happened to Hillary in 2008 may well be the reason.

Summers, whose classic text Damned Whores and God's Police turns 40 this year (she's celebrating the anniversary with a conference in September) says she thinks political institutions would respond in the same way Red State did – and squeeze the perpetrator out.

"If there were similar remarks made in Australian politics today they would be slapped down by right-wingers in a way which would not have happened a few years ago. At least I hope so."

"If you go back to 2008 when Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic nomination . . . everyone either ignored or laughed at or turned a blind eye to comments like that.

"They can't get away with it now," says Summers.

The right-wing women won't accept that, she says, pointing out that both Megyn Kelly herself and another Republican hopeful, Carly Fiorina, rejected Trump's comments.

And in Australia, conservative women have started to fight the same battles that their progressive sisters have – largely – won, such as the fight for equal representation. Summers says this is no longer just a talking point.

"Every list of [Prime Minister Tony] Abbott's failings includes the lack of women appointees to cabinet . . . it is now seen on his own side as a major failing."

And it's that culture which Summers argues will change the way politicians talk about women.

Rebecca Traister agrees. The author of Big Girls Don't Cry told NBC News last year: "It's a very different cultural environment. You have a rise in the prominence of figures like [New York Senator Kirstin] Gillibrand, a growth in feminist media, you have more people who are writing as feminists.

"This is a far friendlier environment to be talking about women-friendly social policy," she said.

So, no more big thighs or boxes or breasts, no more chat about cleavage or childlessness. No more suggesting that women are destroying the joint.

Maybe Julia Gillard was right.

"What I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that. And I'm proud of that."

I'm involved in this conference but I don't have a financial interest, just an interest in exactly how far women have come in the campaign for equality

Twitter @jennaprice or email jennapricejournalist@gmail.com