Well this is getting a bit embarrassing. While Hillary Clinton is making a serious and unprecedented bid for the White House, more and more Americans are asking questions about the experiences of Julia Gillard.

Just this week author Malcolm Gladwell has been cable-TV hopping to promote his new history podcast, while expounding on his theory that when we allow one woman through the ranks, we close them behind her to ensure another doesn't follow. In this scenario, he argues, our consciences are safe because we can tell ourselves we have already had one.

It's a phenomenon Gladwell calls "moral licensing". He told CBS This Morning: "what happened to Gillard in Australia is very, very interesting. She gets elected, everyone says, 'Wow, we finally elected a woman'. And there is this kind of backlash. It unleashes this kind of torrent of suppressed misogyny and abuse. You cannot imagine what she goes through."

I don't really buy his theory – I think Australians would happily elect Julie Bishop or Tanya Plibersek if given the chance. But when I watched him I could not help have the discomforting thought that as America is grappling with the prospect of a lady POTUS, we are sliding backwards.