AUSTRALIA'S first woman prime minister has serious man trouble. Male voters have turned on Julia Gillard with a vengeance since the start of the year, driving her dive in the polls.

An analysis of monthly Age/Nielsen polls for 2011 shows a powerful and seemingly intractable resistance to the Prime Minister among most men.

Illustration: Ron Tandberg

It was not always so. As recently as February, the political sympathies of men and women were similar. In February, men were still viewing Ms Gillard favourably, with 48 per cent approving of her performance and 47 per cent disapproving. Women approved of the Prime Minister 55-39. Then the big male switch-off began.

In March, Ms Gillard's approval rating among men moved into negative territory. Since then, male voters' confidence in her has had a sustained slide; now, for every male who approves of her, there are two who disapprove. In the latest poll, 65 per cent of men disapprove of her performance and 31 per cent approve. It was the fifth consecutive poll in which Ms Gillard has attracted these sorts of numbers.