• Home
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Date/Time
  • Login
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
  • Home
  • Magazine

If 2017 was the year of me too, 2018 must be the year of real change

We should applaud the brave women who spoke out. But the obligation to prevent harassment falls on all of us—and means questioning the nature of insecure work

by Dawn Foster / December 11, 2017 / Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Published in January 2018 issue of Prospect Magazine

Politics, film, the media: in each, a culture of insecure work is exploited by abusers.

To his tweeted chagrin, grabber-in-chief Donald Trump was not Time magazine’s person of 2017. That honour fell instead to a group: the “Silence Breakers,” the #metoo movement of people first in Hollywood, then globally who risked their careers, professional relationships, and in some cases personal safety to blow the whistle on sexual harassment, abuse and assault.

That certain industries—Hollywood, the media, theatre and politics—have been hit by near-identical scandals is hardly surprising. All operate on similar structures, with unconventional working arrangements, a large number of young, powerless people working with far older men, and a high degree of precocity and jostling for a small number of positions. Sexual harassment exists in all industries: I’ve experienced inappropriate advances as a paper girl, working minimum wage cafe jobs, in admin roles and in the media. But certain industries are set up in a way to make abuse far more likely, and to close off the avenues for raising disputes over colleagues’ behaviour.

The fear, not unfounded, within these industries, is that if you make a fuss, you’ll never work again. While within these fields, many people have set up ‘Whisper Networks’—behind-the-scenes, ad hoc methods of alerting junior staff to known sleazes—so much work is reliant on word of mouth. Causing a stink over inappropriate behaviour carries the very real threat that the people around your abuser will ensure you’ll never find work again. You can too easily be marked as a troublemaker, or a careerist.

When the Harvey Weinstein stories began to pour forth, the usual questions abounded focusing on the behaviour of the victims rather than the immorality of the named predator: why did these women agree to meet him in a hotel room alone? Simply, because that’s how Hollywood operates. Refuse to do so and maintain your personal integrity, and you risk jeopardising your career, as actress Alice Evans discovered. Upon rejecting Harvey Weinstein’s advances, her husband Ioan Gruffudd was rejected for a Weinstein film he’d recently auditioned for, and both had their careers seemingly blocked within Hollywood.

YOU'VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don't worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we'll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we'll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.

DEBUG messsage: regular

Related articles

Britain can build a political community from its diverse past
Josh Simons / October 22, 2017
As the UK re-assesses its relationship with Europe—and the rest of the...
Will the US be put into second place?
Elsa Kania / October 23, 2017
A visitor takes a photo of a display of robotic military technology at an exhibition in...
Share with friends
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Comments

  1. Jennie Kermode
    December 11, 2017 at 22:06
    There's another issue here where Hollywood is concerned, and that's the precarity US actors face where health insurance is concerned. Losing a job can mean having no healthcare for oneself or for family members, who may be dependent on it for their very lives. I think it's difficult for those of us fortunate enough to have an NHS to fully appreciate the terror that situation can instill. Additionally, because a small number of successful actors make a lot of money, people tend to assume that everyone in Hollywood is rich. They don't realise that people can be in high profile films and still be struggling to make their rent each month.

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.

This Month's Magazine

Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.

Time to rip up the economics textbook and start again? Howard Reed says the discipline needs rebuilding from first principles. Also: Sonia Purnell on Jacob Rees-Mogg's chance of cracking No 10; Will Self on his first acid trip

Subscribe

Most Popular

  • Read
  • Commented

Leonard Bernstein invented how we do modern classical music

Rip it up and start again: the case for a new economics

In defence of the economists

Rules of origin: the biggest Brexit problem you didn’t know about



In defence of the economists

5 Comments

Why I won’t be leaving Labour over anti-semitism

3 Comments

Rip it up and start again: the case for a new economics

3 Comments

Brexit will no longer be a significant event

3 Comments

Voters think Brexit is being badly mishandled—so why do they still support it?

2 Comments

About this author

Dawn Foster
Dawn Foster is a writer with a focus on politics and social affairs. She is a contributing editor at Guardian Housing and the author of Lean Out (Repeater Books, 2016)
  • Follow Dawn on:
  • Twitter
More by this author

More by Dawn Foster

This government risks making child poverty its legacy
January 25, 2018
The problem with Universal Credit isn't the phone lines—it's the whole cruel system
October 18, 2017
The cruel bureaucracy of the benefits system isn't a fault—it's working exactly as intended
August 22, 2017

Next Prospect events

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club—Jesse Norman

    London, 2018-07-16

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club—Henry Marsh

    London, 2018-06-18

  • Details

    HowTheLightGetsIn 2018

    Hay-on-Wye, 2018-05-25

See more events

Sponsored features

  • Supporting UK businesses trading overseas

  • The Commonwealth has put vision for everyone on the world’s agenda— now we must act

  • Brexit and the future of industry

  • Seeing Clearly

  • Meet the brains behind Exo

PrimeTime

Prospect was originally founded by Editor David Goodhart and Publisher Derek Coombs, as a home for intelligent debate. The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities. The aim is to tackle the big challenges confronting society, through rigorous thinking and fine writing.

Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • RSS

Editorial

Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Executive Editor: Jay Elwes
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Deputy Digital Editor (Political Correspondent): Alex Dean
Design: Mike Turner
Production Editor: Chris Tilbury
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus

Commercial

Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Finance Manager: Pauline Joy
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulations Executive: James Hawkins
Head of Research and Engagement: Saskia Perriard-Abdoh
Events Coordinator: Oliver Ward
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Senior Account Manager: Sophie Ryan 020 3372 2927
Senior Account Manager: Dominic Slonecki 0203 372 2972
Account Manager: Scott Smith 020 3372 2931

  • Home
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
×
Login
Login with your subscriber account:
You need a valid subscription to login.
I am
Remember Me


Forgotten password?

Or enter with social networking:
Login to post comments using social media accounts.
  • With Twitter
  • Connect
  • With Google +
×
Register Now

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’s website for FREE in the next 30 days..
PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Not Now, Thanks

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.

×
You’ve got full access!

It looks like you are a Prospect subscriber.

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.