As news this week spread about Harvey Weinstein
and the various sexual harassment allegations against him, it was incredibly
sad to hear about how so many women were abused before any actions had been
taken to prevent further wrongdoing. How is it that perpetrators of sexual
harassment can get away with so much before they get caught?
While there are a lot of factors that go into
answering that question, it made me start to think about how well our interests
as women are represented and protected by the government. How can we expect a
male dominated government to fully protect our rights when they simply don't
share the same interests? If there was a gender balance in government, how
would this change the regulations, laws, social norms and customs of today?
Would punishment for sexual harassment be harsher and taken more seriously by
society? Would a woman's choice to have an abortion be considered a
self-evident truth? And most importantly, if we lived in a world with a history
of gender balance in government positions, would women today feel more inclined
to speak up and protect their rights, engage in political discussions and run
for office?
It is sad that during the decade after women won
the vote, women were not commonly elected into government positions. However,
it is even more unfortunate that this reality still persists today. I believe
that the history of women not being able to influence the laws, regulation and
socially acceptable norms through elected positions has so many repercussions
that most Americans are not even aware of. Maybe it could have even helped
prevent someone like Harvey Weinstein from committing the incessant crimes
towards the women that he did.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/gwyneth-paltrow-angelina-jolie-harvey-weinstein.html?ribbon-ad-idx=4&src=trending&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Trending&pgtype=article
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/gwyneth-paltrow-angelina-jolie-harvey-weinstein.html?ribbon-ad-idx=4&src=trending&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Trending&pgtype=article
In my opinion, a number of factors play into why men are able to get away with so much before being reprimanded for sexual assault. Women may be afraid to speak up because of the negative stigma around sexual assault. It is sad that women are labeled as ‘slutty’ or “liars” when they bring up personal experiences of sexual assaul. On the other hand men may deny that they did anything wrong, or support a predatory culture. Here at CMC, I have male friends who have witnessed guys encouraging other guys to take advantage of girls, especially when they are intoxicated. This is unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteIf people did a better job of supporting the victims of sexual assault and discouraging perpetrators from assaulting victims, would this not decrease the cases and effects of sexual assault? Are the resources here at CMC sufficient for helping those involved in a sexual assault? Would it be beneficial to increase the number of women on the CMC student government? This may encourage more students to speak up and protect their rights by getting more involved with the school policies.
These are very thought provoking questions and ones that I hope can be answered. I've also wondered if gender balance in government could aid women in speaking up and I am more inclined to say yes. When we see men in positions of power, men who abuse that power with impunity, it is hard to feel as if our voices are heard.
ReplyDeleteThis is something I thought about a lot also in relation to birth control and a conversation I had with a male that I won't name. I think it's sad that there's a mentality of "it's not my problem" from a lot of men. The reason they keep women out of these arguments often is because it's looked at as an "extra" right. A lot of women's biological rights aren't seen as natural or given but an added expense when writing legislation. In regards to this view I don't know exactly where it stems from but it's highly detrimental when men are discussing women's rights. It makes women's basic rights seem unnecessary and extra and often because they are excluded from the narrative.
ReplyDelete