Over the last 10 days, two women have set the course of female achievement back by about 200 years. Step forward Rachel Reeves and Lily Allen. A week later and people are still talking about Reeves’ Commons meltdown: what was she thinking? Yes, Winston Churchill was famous for blubbing, but sorry, the rules are different for women.

It was just about acceptable for Margaret Thatcher to well up when she thought her son was lost in the desert and when she was booted out of office by her own party, but in those first difficult years when nothing seemed to be working? She didn’t burst into tears at the Dispatch Box: in fact she made one of her most famous speeches, The Lady’s Not For Turning.

If Rachel Reeves had a single solitary ounce of the resolve the real Iron Lady had she’d have come out punching. Instead she confirmed the worst prejudices of the Sir Bufton-Tufton brigade: that women aren’t up to it, that we crumple under pressure, that our pretty little heads aren’t meant for high office.

It’s said that men have been more sympathetic towards her than women: that’s because they haven’t had to put up with the patronising nonsense we have.

Years ago a complete stranger on a plane, having ascertained I was a single journalist, told me I’d be much happier as a married mother rather than bothering with a career. At this stage we had known each other about 20minutes. I bet no man reading this has ever had that said to them.

Meanwhile, Lily Allen, with her shameful, irresponsible comments about having “four or five” abortions, can’t really remember, it’s not that big a deal, is even worse. I am not anti-abortion, and support the woman’s right to choose and sometimes, for whatever reason, a pregnancy is just not tenable, but equally, every abortion is a tragedy.

There’s a potential life there that will never be and the only way to combat the arguments of those who say a tiny clutch of cells is the same as a fully-fledged baby is to say that women would never take the decision to have an abortion lightly and certainly wouldn’t use it as birth control. And then along comes Lily and her stupid, simpering, appalling attitude.

It may not be fair but it is a fact that to be successful, women have to be twice as tough as the average man and allow no chink in the armour. These two have proven themselves to be variously weak, shallow, pathetic and frankly, immoral. If the likes of Lily go on like this, no woman will be allowed a legal abortion. While Reeves is ensuring no woman will be allowed near the Treasury again.