If you’ve been watching your news feeds recently, odds are sexual assault has been on your mind. Everything that’s come to light about Harvey Weinstein and other high profile men in the entertainment industry is disturbing, but unfortunately, nothing new. Because women are very visible in media (as actresses, as models, as singers and television hosts) it’s easy to believe the glass ceiling has shattered, but this is not the case. In the words of Martha Lauzen, the woman behind the annual “Celluloid Ceiling” report which examines the proportion of women who hold leadership positions in the film industry, “[w]omen working in key behind-the-camera roles have yet to benefit from the current dialogue regarding diversity and inclusion in the film industry.” The #metoo campaign and other efforts to showcase the crippling regularity of sexual harassment are good starts, but more is required to fully address the problem at play here. Misogyny is systemic, and misogynists are a result of the culture that breeds them. This problem extends far beyond film and impacts women from all walks of life; young and old, rich and poor. If we really want to effect change, we must first understand the problem, then take direct action to solve it.
According to the MPAA, 52% of movie-goers are women. Women also make up about half of all film grads from NYU and USC, two of the best schools for filmmakers. Why is it then, according to the most recent Celluloid Ceiling report, which analyzed the top 250 films of last year, women made up only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, 17% of executive producers and editors, 24% of producers and 5% of cinematographers? For a broader context, consider that since the study was first conducted in 1998 the number of female directors employed has actually dropped by 2 percentage points, and the average of women’s involvement for all roles – 17% – has stayed exactly the same. After almost twenty years we’ve seen no progress, for the reason that women are not given the same opportunities for advancement as men. On average, male directors are six times more likely than female directors to get their movies picked for distribution after a Sundance premier. Lauzen’s study also concluded that women comprised only 9% of writers employed to work on films with male directors. However, on films with female directors, the number of women employed as writers drastically increases to 64%. It is clear that to effect real change, placing women in leadership positions is essential.
This disparity is incredibly insidious because it all happens off-screen, out of the public eye, and what the audience is aware of – the content on-screen – is often misleading. No director better illustrates this than Roman Polanski. Polanski’s three most famous films: Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion, and Tess all feature strong female leads and deal overtly with sexual assault, a pattern that becomes unsettling with the knowledge that Roman Polanski committed statutory rape. The films themselves are incredibly sympathetic to the plights of women, but we should not be fooled into believing Polanski’s off-screen actions mirror this. In a vacuum, his films are powerful and enchanting, and though I believe one can separate an artist’s work from an artist’s actions, this does not mean artists should not be held accountable for their actions. Sadly, this is common. Hugh Hefner, Woody Allen and Bill Cosby are all contemporary examples of high-profile men who exist in a culture that allows them to hide behind their work, and though the work itself may be valuable, it is not where the discussion ends.
This problem is not unique to American cinema, either. Just last month, the Delhi High Court acquitted Bollywood director Mahmood Farooqui of a rape charge on the grounds that “it matters not if one of the partners to the act is a bit hesitant. Such feeble hesitation can never be understood as a positive negation of any advances by the other partner.” What we see again and again is that rather than the assailant’s motives being called into question, the victim’s are, and because the burden of proof is always on them, it becomes difficult for women to come forward because there is a very real concern that they will be ignored, blamed, or denied.
The above factors promote a culture of silence, and in this case, silence is deafening. Because on the surface of the entertainment industry, women seem to be well-represented, few people have a firm understanding of just how deep the well goes. And, because so many men go on to have successful careers in spite of allegations brought against them, two implicit messages are being sent: That women should not be believed, and that men really can use their status to get away with anything. It’s no wonder so many women feel unable to talk about their experiences. It is frightening to know your words will be denied by an authority figure, to know that you will have to fight to be believed.
At its core, these problems arise from an abuse of power, and because of this, real progress comes from the top down. I’m glad more women have spoken out about this recently. Solidarity and empathy are valuable, cathartic and useful, especially at raising awareness, but they are not enough alone to fix the problem. The fact of the matter is, we live in a country where a man with decades of sexual assault allegations and no applicable experience was awarded the highest possible position of power over a woman with decades of political experience. Apparently, we are not yet ready to give women the real power to progress and this is why “the current dialogue regarding diversity and inclusion” is not enough. In order for women to be employed in leadership positions, they need employers who believe in them and this is why we need the help of men. If you are listening to women, if you are acknowledging women, you are making the right first steps, but what are you doing to actively fight rape culture? If a friend makes a sexist joke do you laugh or do you call them out? Do you take a woman’s silence as consent for her time or her body? Do you feel that women, in any context, owe you romantic affirmation or sex? When a woman says no (even feebly), do you stop?
Of course I realize that many men are victims as well, that many men have also suffered from sexual harassment and abusive power dynamics. I am not saying that all men are the problem. I am proposing that men are an essential part of the solution because I believe in them. I believe that men can control their sexual urges. I believe that men do not need to coerce women for sexual gratification. I believe that men make powerful allies. And because of this, I believe that men who abuse their privilege over women should be held accountable for their actions, because sexual assault is never just an accident, because men are not dumb animals that don’t know any better or “can’t help themselves”. The only question remaining is whether or not you believe in us.