Will the unsurprising yet significant fact that Kamala Harris is a woman decisively tip the knife-edge US election in Donald Trump’s favour? Democrat jitters grow as the campaign enters its final two weeks. Polls predict a dead heat nationally. Trump is edging ahead in key battleground states. Misogyny, hidden and pernicious, may make a crucial difference.

It’s frankly incredible that Trump, a convicted crook, cheat and sexual predator, is still in the race – and alarming that likeable, uninspiring Harris has not already sewn it up. Each day brings more wild Trump bombast about mass deportations, “enemies within” or pet-eating Haitians. His lies and threats explode like cluster bombs. He behaves like a fool.

Yet Trump has traction. Voters generally rate Republicans more highly on core issues: the economy, inflation, borders, crime, global insecurity. That doesn’t necessarily translate into a Trump win. Most Americans view him unfavourably. But Harris, hamstrung by Joe Biden’s unpopular legacy and a paucity of eye-catching policy ideas, looks vulnerable.

One issue that could ultimately swing this tightest of tight races is rarely mentioned by either candidate: gender. Unlike Hillary Clinton, the misogynists’ favourite 2016 target, Harris has downplayed the potentially historic nature of her candidacy. But derogatory, demeaning sexism remains a factor.

“Women – and women candidates – are subject to toxic and misogynistic standards that are often perpetuated in public and by the media,” the Emily’s List pressure group warned this summer. “Stereotypes........

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