#MeToo

From whistleblower Susan Fowler, who brought to light the prevalence of sexism and harassment at Uber, to Taylor Swift, who sued for and won a symbolic $1 from a DJ who groped her during a photo shoot, the issue of sexual harassment has been prevalent in the media and hard to dismiss this past year. By October, when allegations about film producer Harvey Weinstein began to emerge, those who had somehow managed to avoid being affected by the stories of Juliet Huddy or the Plaza Hotel Plaintiffs were suddenly confronted with a story they could not ignore.

Part of the sticking power of this case was the powerful hashtag that Alyssa Milano, a victim of Weinstein’s abuse, posted to encourage other women to come forward, and thus show the world the “magnitude of the problem.” #MeToo became a viral sensation that got people talking and turned into a rallying cry for the movement against sexual harassment and assault.

After Weinstein was accused and #MeToo tweeted, the New York Times began keeping an updated list called “After Weinstein,” of all of the powerful men both accused of and forced to bear consequences for sexual misconduct following the accusations of rape and assault levelled against Weinstein. As of February 8th, the number of men is up to 68 and features former NFL players, media moguls, senators, photographers, editors, and venture capitalists, who all resigned, stepped down, or retired, or else were fired, cut, or removed.

Though it is clear that there has been a recent outpouring of sexual harassment and abuse claims, especially high-profile ones, this movement is not limited to celebrities like Kevin Spacey or Bill O’ Reilly. A Pew Research poll showed that two-thirds of Americans believe the recent sexual harassment cases “reflect widespread problems in society” instead of isolated cases, demonstrating that the movement is not limited to individual cases that are garnering a lot of media attention, but is also correlated with a wider change in attitude. This growing awareness of and willingness to acknowledge sexual abuse has even affected the Pingry community. In March of 2017, Pingry published an open letter informing the public of the results of an investigation into accusations of sexual abuse and harassment by three Pingry teachers in the late 70s and early 80s.

An editor for the New York Times had high praise for the movement, stating that “For the first time in history, powerful men are falling, like dominos, and women are being believed.” The “Silence Breakers” were even made TIME’s Person of the Year for 2017.

However, according to a poll conducted by the Lean In Organization, the effects of the #MeToo movement are not all positive. While half the people surveyed reported that their companies have made some change, whether it be updating their sexual harassment policies, providing training, or reporting sexual harassment, in response to the movement, there is also evidence of what seems to be a negative repercussion. The poll shows that in response to the deluge of high-profile sexual harassment claims and the intense media coverage of them, men feel more uncomfortable working with or mentoring women. This is a step backwards because the aim of movements against sexual harassment is not to divide the workplace and make the environment more uncomfortable, but to create a more equal, respectful, and inclusive work space. However, this consequence might be a necessary short-term sacrifice for a long-term goal; in other words, it may need to get worse in some ways before it gets better.

Furthermore, while it does seem like many women are coming forward and many men are stepping down, the numbers still do not add up. A Wall Street Journal Poll in 2017 claimed 48% of employed women had experienced harassment in the workplace and a Pew Research Center poll placed that number closer to 22%, compared with 7% of males who had experienced sexual harassment. However, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports only 26,978 receipts of sexual harassment, similar to previous years and nowhere near even 1% of the female population of the US.

Part of that numbers gap can be attributed to the fact that it is much harder for less wealthy and less powerful women to come forward and get justice. Anita Hill, a woman whose 1991 testimony against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was revolutionary for the movement against sexual harassment, notes that powerful, beautiful, and rich women are much more likely to be believed and to be insulated from the potential repercussions of coming forward. Sharon Dunn, a blue-collar worker who came forward about the sexual harassment she endured under her supervisor at Ford, found that speaking up changed nothing, as Ford made no attempt to rectify the situation after settling the case in court. Dunn now says that “If I had that choice today, I wouldn’t say a damn word.” In response to the #MeToo movement, Dunn tweeted #WhatAboutUs to bring attention to the plight of those women who do not have the resources or reach to successfully fight sexual harassment, even when they do step forward.

The movement still has a long way to go; stigmatizing victims of sexual harassment and turning a blind-eye to perpetrators of it is still a real problem, no matter how much progress has been made. The fact that President Trump, a man who said “Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything,” and who has 15 outstanding sexual harassment and assault allegations against him, was elected into the highest office in the land just goes to show that society’s attitude towards allegations against powerful men still needs adjustment.

However, #MeToo shows progress towards a world where sexual harassment is discussed and detested. The courage of the people who shared their stories and broke the silence is inspirational enough to gain the attention of the country and prompt a reassessment of attitudes.

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