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A review by anneaustex
#MeToo in the Corporate World: Power, Privilege, and the Path Forward by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
4.0
I will speculate that many women of a certain age (myself included) can recount experiences of men just being men which was the norm back in the day. I wanted to see what this author had to say about more recent business culture.
The term ‘sexual harrassment’ was coined in 1975 by Cornell scholar and writer Lin Farley. She went on to say, “The functions of sexual harassment in untraditional jobs is to keep women out; the function of sexual harassment in the traditional female job sector is to keep women down.”
The phrase ‘Me Too’ was originated by Tarana Burke in 2006 to raise awareness of sexual misconduct in Black civil rights and of course we all know it gained attention in 2018 when #MeToo took off. In the years between was a world of male privilege.
In the business world a woman claiming harassment gets fired while the men accused get sent home with huge settlements. It’s only fair at this point to say that men can be the recipients of sexual harassment/assault at the hands of women (and men) despite breaking the stereotype. We are reminded that sexual misconduct is nearly always a power play and it goes both ways—both men and women can be victimized by women. “The primary variable is not gender but power.”
The book goes on to consider the impact to business bottom lines. More employees alleging sexual assault are taking legal action and filing cases seeking remedy. This means companies may pay settlements, may lose talent, and their brand may suffer lost business, bankruptcy or complete failure.
The author says, “#MeToo has not ended. On the contrary, we may not even yet be at the end of the beginning. Yet already there is much good news, as well as bad news... and a great deal of on-going momentum.”
These quotes are all contained in only the first 10 pages of the book and many more follow. I was sad/angered to learn that there has not been more progress made in corporate America, but somewhat pleased that at least the light is now on and reckonings are becoming more frequent and more equitable.
The term ‘sexual harrassment’ was coined in 1975 by Cornell scholar and writer Lin Farley. She went on to say, “The functions of sexual harassment in untraditional jobs is to keep women out; the function of sexual harassment in the traditional female job sector is to keep women down.”
The phrase ‘Me Too’ was originated by Tarana Burke in 2006 to raise awareness of sexual misconduct in Black civil rights and of course we all know it gained attention in 2018 when #MeToo took off. In the years between was a world of male privilege.
In the business world a woman claiming harassment gets fired while the men accused get sent home with huge settlements. It’s only fair at this point to say that men can be the recipients of sexual harassment/assault at the hands of women (and men) despite breaking the stereotype. We are reminded that sexual misconduct is nearly always a power play and it goes both ways—both men and women can be victimized by women. “The primary variable is not gender but power.”
The book goes on to consider the impact to business bottom lines. More employees alleging sexual assault are taking legal action and filing cases seeking remedy. This means companies may pay settlements, may lose talent, and their brand may suffer lost business, bankruptcy or complete failure.
The author says, “#MeToo has not ended. On the contrary, we may not even yet be at the end of the beginning. Yet already there is much good news, as well as bad news... and a great deal of on-going momentum.”
These quotes are all contained in only the first 10 pages of the book and many more follow. I was sad/angered to learn that there has not been more progress made in corporate America, but somewhat pleased that at least the light is now on and reckonings are becoming more frequent and more equitable.