Håkan Juholt believes that gender has no significance whatsoever in the election of party leaders today.

- There are an enormous number of people who have commented on my mustache than the politics I stand for. If a woman is exposed to it, it is sexist, but when I am exposed to it, it is fun. So today, men and women are treated with the same yardstick, I think, says Håkan Juholt.

"Can't do the job because I'm a woman"

In practice, two Swedish women have had the opportunity to become prime minister: Social Democrat Mona Sahlin and moderate Anna Kinberg Batra.

Both were each party's first female party leader. They remained on the post for only a few years, and both have said in retrospect that the media and party mates treated them differently than men in the same position.

"Tough to respond to"

This is what Mona Sahlin said in Agenda 2011:

- Being (party leader, editor.,) After 117 years of the Social Democratic Workers' Party, singing "The Sons of Work" and having the mining and metal workers as the norm within the party, has been tough to respond to as a woman.

How did it say then, what did you hear?

- That's exactly this: that I haven't done the job because I'm a woman.