The few of many sexist comments faced by Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand PM. Watch

Jacinda Ardern, in her five years as New Zealand Prime Minister, has been subjected to numerous sexist comments.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who announced that she will be stepping down ahead of this year's election, citing burnout and saying that she no longer has "enough in the tank” has been subject to rampant casual sexism during her term from the media and critics alike.

During her five years in office, Ardern, 42, has been the target of numerous sexist and misogynistic comments, several media interactions show.

The most recent being a BBC article that used a headline "Can women have it all?" when writing about Ardern’s shock resignation. The company then apologised and deleted the headline only to highlight the unbridled sexism in the workplace women have to face even if you are the prime minister of a country, and an efficient and well-loved one at that.

This staggering sexism was evident in many of Ardern’s interactions and the questions, mostly from male journalists, shocked her but she still managed to keep her calm. Several times she shut them down and her displeasure was quite evident.

A video shared by VICE World News is an accumulation of sorts of some of the sexist remarks Ardern has been subjected to bringing gender inequality into the spotlight.

“How is your hair doing? Why are you dyeing your hair, is it going grey?” a journalist asks Ardern during a virtual interaction. Ardern laughs but quickly says, “That’s not a polite question to ask.”

The next interaction shows another man asking her first about when her child was due and then going on to say how people are apparently counting back to the days of when the child was conceived. He asks, as if being a spokesman for the people, if it was okay to conceive during the election campaign leaving Ardern stunned.

A woman journalist asks Ardern, in the next interaction, whether she will ask her partner Clarke Gayford to marry her or wait for him to pop the question. Cue the laughter from Ardern, again.

A few other interactions revealed similar sexist comments. Someone called her a “great catch”, another said he had never seen a PM “so attractive” and a panel discussed if it was okay for a prime minister in office to take maternity leave.

Watch the video here:

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Ardern, who is the second female Prime Minister of New Zealand and the youngest leader in the country's history, has been a vocal advocate for gender equality and women's rights.

Despite the hateful and hurtful nature of many comments, Ardern has remained steadfast in her commitment to serving the people of New Zealand, calling for respect and kindness towards all individuals, regardless of gender.

In one such sexist cartoon, Ardern was portrayed as a ring girl in a bikini and stilettos. She got a call from an enraged journalist who wanted a comment from her.

“I thought, if I say anything particularly negative will I be portrayed as humourless? And that’s probably a little bit indicative of how I’ve sometimes treated those issues. If you say something do you further your cause or make it worse? And yet, over time I’ve decided there are enough young women watching that I just can’t choose to say nothing every time,” Ardern said about the issue which shows why in several of these evidently sexist and uncomfortable questions and interactions, she laughs. If she didn’t, the fear that society may vilify or brand her as "humourless" was a concern, similar to the dilemma faced by millions of women across the world.

Many have spoken out in support of Ardern, including fellow politicians and public figures, who have condemned the misogynistic language directed towards her. They have also called for a more civil and respectful discourse in public life and for the importance of gender equality in the political arena.

These comments towards the New Zealand prime minister is a sad reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the need for continued efforts to combat misogyny and sexism in all aspects of society.