By Diana Glebova
Image: Sarah Rogers//The Daily Beast
This past year’s #metoo movement has served as a critical juncture in the historical progression towards gender equality. This platform has finally given women a platform to speak out about their experiences with sexual harassment, and this has brought hundreds of allegations to the forefront against political and media personalities, among others. Undoubtedly, the #metoo movement has unearthed a much needed conversation. However, it remains a controversial topic in terms of its long term purpose, and several questions arise: has the movement gone too far, or rather, not far enough, and how can this grassroots movement legitimize itself in long lasting sexual harassment reform?
The fact that that women from western Europe and North America have had greater participation than other countries around the world, illustrates that this movement is a product of the gender equality evolution, as these countries have put gender equality further along their agenda than the rest of the world. Some say that the movement towards gender equality is an ever-long feminist continuum, and these countries are further along in the process. The journey of gender equality is indeed present in history, as women, over hundreds of years have gained access to voting, having equal treatment under the law, and even being considered as citizens. But others, those favoring the traditional prevalence of dominating males, question the notion of this continuum and state that this view is just a Western centered conception. For example, I was shocked to find that Ukraine has no sexual harassment laws in place, and that some think that such measures would infringe on the natural relationship between the man and the woman and limit one’s freedom. This illustrates that this issue is perceived differently across cultures but also brings to light if, in fact, gender equality should and could exist around the world, or if it is currently limited to the Western sphere.
Sexual harassment laws should exist, as the lack thereof infringes on both men’s and women’s freedoms to exist safely and comfortably in the public sphere. Yet, the current #metoo movement does raise some questions on how we perceive sexual harassment, and if these conceptions are just and impactful. The issue that continues to prolong the problem is the lack of rigid social norms and structure of the relationship between men and women in different social situations. The same actions can be perceived distinctly in varying situations and can be seen as threatening although the action was not intended to be so. Also, there is no concrete way to sign a mutually agreed contact in the context of sexual interaction, and thus, consent can be revoked even after the interaction. This raises challenges in the justice system, and also in day to day interaction, as this lack of rigid formality brings a society into a state of anomie.
Manifested, this state of anomie allows a varying scale of harassment to be brought under the same umbrella. A 1A Science Po student states, “I think it’s dangerous, because there are different degrees of sexual harassment and they are all put into the same pot.” The only way to limit this social confusion is to make impactful structures, thus amending the legislative view and treatment of sexual harassment. Although it is a subjective issue, and of course should be treated on an individual basis, the problem arises due to a lack of framework that distinguishes what, specifically should be considered sexual harassment. This is challenging, and perhaps this synthesis of individual and structural reform is impossible to legislate.
The #metoo movement has been a shocking revelation of how many women are subject to sexual harassment, across all professions and walks of life. This has bonded women together in their common cause, and has finally provided the means of speaking about their shared experiences with less social stigma. This is the first step in identifying the problem and conceptualizing that this is not a rare occurrence, but rather an epidemic of unjust behavior towards women. However, the subjective nature of sexual harassment claims pose a problem in long term reform, as this posits room for miscommunication and misunderstanding – something, which can only be fixed with a legislative and overall social reform.
Diana Glebova is a first year student at Sciences Po Campus of Reims. Born in Donetsk, Ukraine; growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes and six month winters: Minneapolis, Minnesota. Has a passion for long runs, poetry, and pot luck dinners. The Grapevine runs once a month.
