Jacinda Ardern fields awkward marriage question like a pro

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes no secret of the fact she's a feminist.

As one of the only female heads of state in the world, and only the second of those to give birth while in office, she's a fierce and outspoken advocate for gender equality.

So, when Ardern was asked to prove those feminist credentials in a recent interview with the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, people were understandably unhappy.

At the beginning of the interview, the politician shared her thoughts on a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK and her reaction to the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane.
Then, Derbyshire shifted slightly to her relationship with fishing presenter Clarke Gayford.

"Can you imagine asking your partner, Clarke Gayford, to marry you? Or will you wait for him to ask you?" queried the presenter.

Ardern laughed heartily and said, "I would not ask, no."

Derbyshire then said, "You're a feminist?" to which Ardern emphatically replied, "Absolutely.”

“Absolutely I'm a feminist,” she explained. "But no, I want to put him through the pain and torture of having to agonise about that question himself. That's letting him off the hook, absolutely not."

"Ok, fair enough, we await that day," Derbyshire said.

New Zealand political commentator Bryce Edwards told The Guardian, "Such a question is actually very surprising, and the prime minister’s reaction suggested that she was entirely surprised by it."

Edwards continued, "Certainly a lot of New Zealanders would see such probing of the prime minister about her relationship with her partner and her plans for marriage as being inappropriate."

Punters on social media also agreed the question was in poor taste.

"Does [Jacinda Ardern] have to get married for some reason? Why does it matter if she is not? I want to see all male politicians asked how they juggle politics and family life from now on," one person tweeted.

Despite all the empty questioning, the 38-year-old is likely sleeping just fine knowing that while everyone debates the intricacies of her private life, she's quietly saving the world. What a boss move.