Efforts to tackle harassment of women have been half-hearted. But the problem goes far beyond sexual, physical, or psychological harassment — women simply aren’t respected.
In 2024, women’s rights are not in a great state. If you follow the news, and if you know the data, the near future doesn’t look rosy if you are a girl or a woman. Hopes that something would finally change with the #MeToo movement have faded into the past. Simply look at this year’s US Presidential election or half-hearted reactions to sexual harassment scandals elsewhere. The Economist in a recent article showed that men’s views on women are taking a turn for the worse. As a woman and mother of four children (three of whom are girls), it breaks my heart to see how little the world cares about women’s rights.
I have personally been one of the few lucky women who have not experienced violence or sexual harassment due to my gender at home or at work. 1 in 3 women (and 1 in 9 men) experience sexual or physical violence during their lifetime; over half of women have been harassed at work. Yet again and again throughout my career, I have felt disrespect due to being a woman.
I believe that to understand violence and harassment – and continuing half-hearted responses thereto – we have to go beyond #MeToo to address the lack of respect for women.
I have to confess that I was recently asked by two younger female colleagues how I deal with situations where I am not invited to or listened to in meetings. My response was honest yet utterly depressing: I have in such situations so far relied on a male colleague I know well (boss, board member, etc.) to join me. The number of times male counterparts have not even bothered to respond to my messages, not to mention bothered to speak to me, have been so numerous that I have lost count. It hasn’t made a difference whether I’ve been the most senior person, known to be the person with the most expertise on the issue, known to manage the respective work process, or simply known to be doing all the work — I’ve been ignored, even ghosted, until a man has joined me.
Another personal story: Very early in my career, I was told the opposite of what women are often told: smile more. I smile a lot in social situations (unless I’m furious). I was told that I should smile less. People would not take me seriously otherwise. Just imagine how depressing that sounds. Imagine as a parent telling your daughters: the key to success is not to smile.
I’m sharing these rather random anecdotes because there are millions of these. I’m sharing a few to showcase that millions and millions of women experience these types of situations – and feedback – every single day. These situations are not criminal, they are probably not even morally red-line — yet they add up, they wear you down, they ultimately lead to women (such as myself) asking themselves: am I not allowed to be me, and am I not good enough being me?
In 2024, women’s rights are not in a good state.
If you are a woman, you are most likely feeling it, every single day.
If you are a man, I hope you listen and read this. I hope you are not one of those men profiled in that Economist article I cited above, ready to show women their “real” place, and “defend” what you believe you are entitled to. I hope you think about what respect means, also in everyday actions that may seem meaningless, but may mean the world to someone else.
Katri Bertram 