State of patriarchy

More than a decade and a half ago, in 2006, activist Tarana Burke first coined the phrase MeToo on her MySpace social network to support the victims of sexual harassment and raise awareness about the various issues surrounding sexual misconduct.

However, it was only 11 years later, in 2017, that the movement gained rapid popularity after New York Times posted a story titled: ‘Harvey Weinstein?Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades,’ which was a detailed exposé on how big-time Hollywood producer; Harvey Weinstein, had been systemically sexually assaulting women for decades. This triggered a worldwide phenomenon, which resulted in thousands of women coming out with their own stories about the harassment and abuse they endured especially by men in power.

With Weinstein facing trial this fall in Los Angeles, with the court agreeing to hear his appeal for his original sentence, and the slight possibility that he could walk free again, it is important to rethink where the movement stands today, 5 years after.

Measuring the success of #MeToo: The #MeToo movement has significantly impacted the way our society functions. Now, it is not just used to talk about sexual abuse but has extended its meaning to include domestic violence, emotional abuse, and gender bias in general.

There have been a number of systemic changes that were implemented in its wake which has progressed the position of women. However, there are still a lot of fronts in which there has been little to no progress regarding these issues, and worst of all, we’ve seen some major setbacks in the past couple of years that seem to be pushing the movement behind.

Which is why, measuring the success of the movement in an objective way is inherently difficult.

Several overdue legislations have been passed in states: The mindset of the society and the legislation passed in the courts are proven to be interdependent. A change in one brings out a change in the other. In these years, there has been an upsurge in laws and bills being passed that supports the position of women in society and attempts to diminish the patriarchy.

In the United States of America, around 22 states have successfully passed over 70 bills regarding workplace harassment. One of the most notable was when in 2018, California banned the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of sexual harassment. This allowed survivors to speak out about their stories despite any such agreements signed. A few other states have also followed suit and passed similar bills.

Additionally, there has been a lot of progress on the non-legal fronts as well. The media’s perspective while reporting cases of sexual abuse has changed drastically. Workplaces have been introducing anti-harassment clauses to individual contracts. The entertainment industry, specifically, where the movement started from, has seen a lot of changes. The female representation behind the scenes has increased, the ‘casting couch’ has been discouraged, and intimacy coordinators have been popularised on the sets.

Patriarchy seems to be on the rise again: While progress is being made, there have also been places where the industries are curling back into their old ways. Men who are proven to have assaulted women have been facing no lasting consequences after the initial spark of controversies. Things are pushed under the carpet and they move on to new jobs and positions, instead of genuinely being retributed for their actions.

Recently, there has been an increase in conversation regarding women lying about the abuse they have faced. Experts have noted that this will lead to many women being intimidated to come out with their stories, especially if their abuser happens to be a well-known and widely loved man.

Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court withdrawing abortion as a constitutional right, pushes back the women’s right movements by decades. Lack of abortion healthcare has major socioeconomic effects on women. The only thing it achieves is taking bodily autonomy out of the hands of women and carefully placing it in the hands of the men trying to impose their own moral views on others.

The pandemic also had a hand in upholding the notions of patriarchy in some ways. Around 5 million women lost their jobs in the first 8 months of the pandemic, and when it was time to return to the workplace, the percentage of women returning lacked compared to the men. Moreover, with the lack of childcare options available, women were expected to stay at home looking after the family and were unable to return to the workforce. With people being confined to their houses in the pandemic, the rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse had also significantly increased, with no means to escape.

The state of patriarchy is something that cannot be defined in tangible ways. Every time there are a few steps forward, there are also a few steps back. Some of these have lasting impacts and some don’t.