They often came out for years, and for those they harassed, it seemed that their perpetrators would never pay any consequences. Then came the report detailing Harvey Weinstein's assault and sexual harassment and his fall from Hollywood heights.
A year later, even when the #MeToo movement has a backlash, it is possible to take stock of how Weinstein's case has changed the corridors of power. A New York Times analysis revealed that since the publication of the exhibition (followed a few days later by a New Yorker inquiry), at least 200 prominent men have lost their jobs as a result of public accusations of sexual harassment . Some, including Mr. Weinstein, face criminal charges. At least 920 people came forward to say that one of these men had subjected them to sexual misconduct. And nearly half of the men who were replaced were replaced by women.
In the year prior to Weinstein's report, fewer than 30 well-known individuals announced that they were about to quit or be fired as a result of public charges of sexual misconduct. . The fall of Fox host Bill O'Reilly in April 2017 proved to be only a harbinger of future changes.
"We have never seen anything like it before," said Joan Williams, a law professor who studies gender at the University of California at Hastings. "Women have always been considered risky because they could do something like having a baby, but now men are considered more risky hires."
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Sexual harassment has hardly been erased in the workplace. Federal law still does not fully protect large groups of women, including self-employed women or businesses with fewer than 15 employees. New workplace policies have little effect without a deeper cultural change. And as the battle against Brett Kavanaugh at the Supreme Court has demonstrated, Americans do not agree on how those accused of sexual misconduct should be held responsible and on the level of evidence required.
But the analysis shows that the # MeToo movement has shaken and continues to shake power structures in the most visible sectors of society. The Times has collected cases of personalities who have lost their main jobs, important management positions or major contracts and whose agents have been publicly covered by information.
Forty-three percent of their replacements were women. A third of them belong to the media, a quarter to the government and a fifth to entertainment and the arts. For example, Robin Wright replaced Kevin Spacey as a lead actor in "House of Cards". Emily Nemens replaced Lorin Stein as editor of "The Paris Review" and Tina Smith replaced Al Franken as a Senator from Minnesota.
"It seems very interesting to me how many people approach me and say: 'Thanks for intervening when someone had to intervene,'" Smith said. "That's a lot of what women do most of the time, right?"
The appointment of a woman does not guarantee the change. Women have also harassed and covered up harassment. Some women face the glass cliff, in which women are appointed for leadership in times of organizational crisis, when the probability of failure is greater. And while the proportion of women who have risen to power after Weinstein's fall is significant, women are still underrepresented in major US institutions.
Research has repeatedly shown that women tend to lead differently. In general, they create more respectful working environments, where bullying is less likely to occur and where women feel more comfortable reporting it. Female leaders tend to hire and promote more women; they are paid more equally; and make companies more profitable. Women bring their life experiences and perspectives to decision making, and that can help in business because women make the most buying decisions. In the government, it has been shown that women are more collaborative and bipartite, and promote more policies that support women, children and social welfare.
That has been true in Congress, said Ms. Smith, a Democrat. In a highly polarized Senate, women tend to be unusually collegiate along party lines, he said, and the 23 senators meet for dinner monthly.
One example: she and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, discovered that they both worked on the Trans-Alaska pipeline in high school. The bond they built from shared experience helped them when they sponsored the mental health legislation that was included in the opioid crisis response bill that was approved last month.
In the media and in entertainment, many women who rose to jobs left by men changed the tone and substance of what they offer to audiences, and in some cases, the consequences of #MeToo have shaped their decisions .
Since Tanzina Vega took over John Hockenberry as host of "The Takeaway," the public radio show, she has done many episodes on gender, including masculinity, the wrath of women and the intersection of gender and race, themes that I had been covering. Years but she said that they were now part of the national conversation.
"I do not think it's necessarily because I'm a woman, but it's just that as a woman, as a Latina, I know when the conversation has not been about women and I'm very sensitive to that," she said. Ms. Vega, who was previously a reporter on CNN and The New York Times.
"I was wrong on the side as CEO to be more open about it, as if one of my children had an appointment, so I hope it creates an environment where people do not feel they have to hide that they have obligations to the family," He said. "Sure, a guy can be sensitive to those things, but I think it helps to have that empathy of what it is for mothers."
Women who have risen, however, can only make so many changes: they are still operating in a system dominated by men. More than 10 percent of the expelled men have tried to return, or have expressed their wish, and many have never lost financial power.
The comedian Louis C.K. He recently took the stage at Comedy Cellar in New York, which raised questions about how much time is enough for people to be expelled from their field, and who can decide. Garrison Keillor, the radio host, restarted "The Writer's Almanac" as a podcast and reportedly received $ 275,000 for an agreement in which Minnesota Public Radio repeated archived episodes of its programs. Jerry Richardson, the founder and former owner of the Carolina Panthers, was fined $ 2.75 million by the N.F.L. after he was accused of sexual harassment, but sold to the team for at least $ 2.2 billion, a record amount.
When people accused of harassment return to power unrepaired (or never lose it, at least financially), the potential of the post-Weinstein movement is limited to change the way power is exercised in American society.
They have not experienced the same kind of trauma as the survivors, said Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, which began in 2006 to support survivors of sexual harassment and violence (the hashtag went viral a year ago as women). I used it to tell their stories of harassment and violence). And very few have shown that they have taken responsibility for their actions or have offered private apologies to those who harmed, he said.
"Where is the self-reflection and responsibility?" He said. "Maybe if we saw evidence of that, then we could have a more solid conversation about the path to redemption."
Meanwhile, these women say, there are more than enough qualified women ready to take their place in power.
"A group of us who took on these jobs was promoted because we were very good at these jobs," said Ms. Vega, the radio host. "We have the skills, we have the experience, we have the work ethic and we have the intelligence to do it, and it is time for us to do this work."
The 98 men who were replaced
Of the men who lost their jobs, 51 have been
replaced by at least one woman in an intermediate or
permanent capacity. The date of each entry.
Indicates when the news of the accusations broke, or when
A dismissal, resignation or other consequences were announced.
The Seven Men Whose Positions Are Vacant
Several politicians left their seats
vacant, but elections will fill them soon.
The 96 Men Who Have Not Been Replaced
Most lost their jobs or standing and have
no clear successors, or their replacements
have yet to be named or are unknown.
The three women who lost their jobs
In general, few women have been charged.
misconduct in the #MeToo era, but several
who also faced the consequences of work.
Note: The list includes high-level men and women in the United States who have permanently lost their jobs, roles, professional connections or projects (for example, concert tours, book offers) during the course of their career. the last year after public denunciations of inappropriate sexual behavior. The names have been compiled in the New York Times archives and other reports have been searched since October 5, 2017. The list excludes cases of people on temporary or indefinite leave.
#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men. Nearly Half of Their Replacements Are Women.
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Reviewed by Musa Ali
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