Has #MeToo changed anything?
A year on, Tanya Sweeney asks leading figures from the worlds of politics, business and the arts if society is making progress
It’s been a year since the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein broke — a moment that saw Alyssa Milano and Tarana Burke launch the #MeToo Campaign. In those 12 months there has been a sea-change in the way sexual abuse and harassment is covered, but also in workplace culture. Here in Ireland, Waking The Feminists highlighted sexual disparity in theatre circles, the MacGill Summer School’s all-male line-up prompted outcry and, more recently, Trump’s nominee Brett Kavanaugh was elected to the US Supreme Court despite facing allegations of sexual assault.
A mixed bag of events, certainly, but the question begs to be answered: the last year has seen many seismic changes, but what exactly has changed for women, and for men? We put the question to some of Ireland’s well-known women.
IVANA BACIK Irish Labour senator
“After Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, it’s hard to be positive about the impact of #MeToo. It’s been important that so many women have come forward to outline their experiences and it has come as a shock to many men, that most women are aware of low level sexism. In all, #MeToo has had a positive impact, though as to how it has impacted on policy outcomes, behaviour and decision making, is hard to say. There’s always a backlash when a feminist campaign is waged, including the battle for suffrage, but I think in Ireland we’ve had quite positive experiences, between Waking The Feminists and the MacGill Summer School line-up [backlash].”
HOLLY WHITE Stylist and food writer
“I think a lot of people seem uncomfortable about #MeToo, but we have to press on and realise these voices need to be heard and we have to face and deal with things. One thing that’s really important these days is that anyone can have a platform via social media and get a powerful voice out there. People dismiss social media as superficial, but that’s not the case. This very movement proved that something can start on the ground, gain traction on social media and then be picked up by traditional media.”
SHEILA O’FLANAGAN Author
“#MeToo has been something very necessary. Certainly, more women are prepared to speak up over assaults they’ve experienced and inappropriate behaviour. That can only be a good thing. Perhaps it has made men aware of their own behaviour towards women, but also made women perceived certain behaviour they might not have thought inappropriate before differently. Many workplaces have an unconscious male bias in them and I think they’ve had to think of that quite a bit. Certainly, in my prime office days, things like
Playboy magazine would have been passed around and women openly commented on. I doubt that would happen today, and I’m pleased about that.”
SONIA DEASY Co-founder of skincare company Pestle & Mortar
“For me, anything dark that is brought out into the open loses power and I’m grateful that my children will reap the benefits — that they are being brought up in an era where it is okay to tell. My daughters are certainly more aware and more confident than I ever was regarding sexual rights and wrongs, and my sons have an understanding of consent and respect. Even at the micro-level of family, the #MeToo movement has made a difference by stimulating conversation and that’s a great thing.”
ANDREA HAYES Broadcaster/author
“Sharing a personal story can prove a powerful tool for change. When I wrote about my own deeply personal issues with a rare brain disorder and chronic pain, I saw that invisible illness and chronic pain has so much more acceptance and awareness than it did only a few years ago. That’s the power of communication. I feel this movement for equality and change isn’t a new thing — many women just didn’t have the outlet like social media to be heard and believed. #MeToo had a driving force of Hollywood A-listers giving it momentum, but maybe the biggest lesson is
to bring that sentiment of the movement into our communities, our work places, our schools, our homes and even to the people we vote into government. We should command change, and make sure we give a voice to all injustice and all abuse of power. By coming together in large numbers, maybe we can create lasting change for the next generation.”
LYNN RUANE Senator
“The #MeToo movement should not only be seen as a movement, but as a way of life. If you abuse your power or if you sexually assault someone, you will be called out. It must become normal that the person who is the perpetrator will be held accountable and that survivors are no longer expected to carry a shame that is not theirs to carry. Society must take the experiences that have pushed past the lifetime of silences and turn them into action. No movement is complete until the structures, the cultures and the institutions that protect the offender are dismantled and replaced with fair and supportive systems for those who do come forward. Behind the silence is the mighty roar of a society that will no longer accept abuse. The #MeToo movement has facilitated this and I believe it is only getting started.”
MARTINA FITZGERALD
RTE Political Correspondent
“Just over a year ago, I started writing my book Madam Politician as the scandals about harassment and abuse were first being reported. Only 19 Irish women have ever served as cabinet ministers. Over the last year, I met and spoke with all 17 women who are still alive, as well as the two who served as President. Some of the women I interviewed experienced crude remarks and unacceptable behaviour from male colleagues. This is a group of strong women with substantial professional achievements in politics, yet what struck me was they were only comfortable telling their stories now. It doesn’t matter where you work, the initial impact of #MeToo means basic respect is a minimum expectation. As the female politicians in my book highlight, crude remarks and condescending comments — even before bullying, harassment and abuse are mentioned — should be unacceptable in any workplace.”
‘I think in Ireland we’ve had quite positive experiences’