Empowerment and Courage following the #MeToo Movement

Despite the fact that sexual harassment in the workplace is against the law, it frequently remains unreported. Often women blame themselves if they do not act on sexual harassment in an assertive manner [1]. However, even when women do not blame themselves, they opt out because they do not think that anything will be done, they anticipate being blamed, or they fear retaliation [2]. Additionally, women may be unaware that they are protected from certain activities, and they may be hesitant to speak up for fear of repercussions for themselves or other women. Succeeding the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment and assault allegations have been surfacing at an astounding rate [3]. The movement provided support to the victims that found the courage to come forward, encouraged others to come forward when they felt inclined, and raised awareness about sexual harassment and assault. The movement worked to undermine biases and stereotypes against female victims [4]. The bias against women reporting sexual harassment comes from normative discrimination, meaning women are being punished for not conforming to society’s standards for how women are supposed to act [5]. The #MeToo movement surged social media attention to sexual harassment and large numbers of women began coming forward, reducing the bias and stereotypes. 

The #MeToo movement has been known to change the way that men act towards those they may wish to be romantically involved with. In correspondence, women have stated that following the movement, men have treated them differently, with more respect and caution [6]. This movement has initiated a wave of change, encouraging women and giving them an outlet to come forward against their abusers. This movement aimed to ensure that these female victims were not overlooked and ignored, because one voice may be easy to look past, but the collective voice of thousands of women cannot be ignored [7]. Some women have come so far to name their preparation to the media, exposing them in a manner that will follow them for life, just as the sexual harassment will haunt the victims [8]. This movement has come to show that when women feel heard and they feel protected, they are more inclined to speak out.

Notes:

  1. Bhattacharyya, Rituparna. “#Metoo Movement: An Awareness Campaign.” International Journal of Innovation, Creativity, and Change, Volume 3, no. 4 (2018): https://ssrn.com/abstract=3175260

  2. Ibid., no. 4.

  3. Hart, Chloe Grace. “The Penalties for Self-reporting Sexual Harassment”. Gender & Society 33, no. 4 (2019): 534–59. doi:10.1177/0891243219842147.

  4. Laurie S. Kohn, "#MeToo, Wrongs against Women, and Restorative Justice," Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy 28, no. 3 (2019): 561-586 

  5. Ibid., 561-586.

  6. Hudson, Deborah. “Workplace Harassment After #Metoo.” Queens University IRC. (2018): https://irc.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/articles/articles_workplace-harassment-after-metoo.pdf

  7. Bhattacharyya, Rituparna. “#Metoo Movement: An Awareness Campaign.”, no. 4.

  8. Raven, Kathleen. “How Sexual Harassment Changed the Way I Work”. Nature 504, no. 7478 (2013): 9–9. doi:10.1038/504009a.

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