Throughout history, there have been many scandals concerning famous men whose reputation was severely damaged due to women’s accusations of sexual harassment. There have been cases in many countries, but the US seems to have occupied the first position on the list. Recently, the number of charges against powerful men in the US has raised unprecedentedly. It is necessary to consider the possible implications of such accusations.
In the US, the situation is becoming tenser every day. Not only do the men who made fantastic careers in business, politics, television, cinematography, and other spheres lose their acquired status due to being accused of inappropriate sexual conduct (Criss). What is much more serious is that their future is under threat since society turns away from them. They may lose important contracts or even get fired. One of the most well-known stories of the last few months is that several advertisers refused to cooperate with Fox News because of accusations being posed to the chairman (Steel and Schmidt). This case is just one of many.
Organizations refuse to have any connections with the men who have been accused of sexual misconduct. Companies are afraid that they will experience considerable losses if they continue to cooperate with such celebrities. Therefore, the problem seems to become more intensified with every new case. The US women arrange movements aimed at disclosing their stories, and there is a considerable number of stories told (Criss). With the “#MeToo” trend flooding various media, the greatest national debate on sexual misconduct has been initiated (Criss). The situation in the US seems quite unpromising for the men. The society tends to trust females’ accusations or at least to take them into consideration, which inevitably leads to adverse outcomes for the males.
While the situation is not as drastic in other countries, it does not differ much there. In the UK, a recent scandal was initiated by female lawyers (O’Neill). The women report that harassment is “endemic” in their profession (O’Neill). Meanwhile, a UK journalist Caitlin Moran talks about the issue in a rather sharp tone. She says that it is time for women to stand up and fight for their dignity instead of believing that men’s behavior can be justified (Moran). While there is a popular opinion that being “sassy” may help females to protect themselves from being harassed, the author is convinced that it is not an option (Moran). She says that harassment is the problem of men, and it is unacceptable to accuse women of insufficient “sassiness” (Moran). Thus, in the UK, the scope of the problem is also growing, and it may reach the same level of intensity as in the US.
In my opinion, the situation is not going to simply be forgotten. The sources from different countries testify that the question has reached the point of no return. The men will have to change their attitude towards women if they do not want to risk their career and social position. They have been given too many chances but wasted each one of them. At this point, it is highly unlikely that there will be any retreat I women’s demands. On the contrary, they are becoming more determined in their desire not to be ill-treated and think of the ways of not letting the men escape the punishment.
Works Cited
Criss, Doug. “The (Incomplete) List of Powerful Men Accused of Sexual Harassment After Harvey Weinstein.” CNN. 2017. Web.
Moran, Caitlin. “Sexual Harassment is Men’s Problem, Not Women’s.” The Advertiser. 2017. Web.
O’Neill, Sean. “Women at Human Rights Chambers Complain of Sexual Harassment.” The Times. 2017. Web.
Steel, Emily, and Michael S. Schmidt. “More Trouble at Fow News: Ailes Faces New Sexual Claims and O’Reilly Loses Two Advertisers.” The New York Times. 2017. Web.