It has been five years since the New York Times exposed movie producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment and started the #MeToo movement that has seen people speak out against other Hollywood players. However, a new survey conducted by Women In Film to coincide with the anniversary has shown that in half a decade, there have continued to be many incidences of abuse and misconduct despite an improvement in workplace harassment awareness.
The results of the new survey did have a little good news, in that 70% of those who responded said that there the toxic culture of abuse in Hollywood has “improved somewhat” over the last five years, while 13.2% believed that there had been a significant improvement. 12.6% didn’t see that there had been any change, while 2.9% and 0.6%, respectively, thought things have worsened slightly or significantly.
However, the high number of people believing there has been an improvement of some kind was countered by a massive 69% who claimed to have been personally on the receiving end of either abuse, harassment, or misconduct since the #MeToo movement began, while almost 40% said they knew of someone else who had suffered similarly. This was also compounded by 55% of people of color saying they have faced abuse or misconduct, and 53.3% of those surveyed who have left the industry in the last five years said they have done so due to suffering abuse or misconduct.
The Survey Includes a Number of Personal Quotes From Abused Respondents
While there has been plenty of exposure around the #MeToo movement, there are still many cases to prove that there are still cases of misconduct and abuse being seen in the industry. While there have been some cases that have hit the headlines and have later been said to have been blown out of proportion and only acted to harm the movement for those who have truly been abused by their peers. However, the examples included in the report show that Hollywood still has some way to go.
One comment reads:
“Our director grabbed our female PR professional’s ass on the red carpet and would not let go. Things haven’t changed so much. We are still not respected.”
Another lengthy anonymous comment said:
“I think that more women being given opportunities as producers and writers, decision makers, has helped a lot. More can be done. The more parity we have with opportunities and pay, especially in decision-making positions, the better things can be. However, that's only because the women's voices are louder, not because the problem has disappeared. All you have to do is step into a male-heavy writers’ group and you'll see NOTHING has changed. And globally, harassment against women has increased, especially online. Maintaining the loud voices around appropriate behavior, parity, equality, inclusiveness, and women being in charge whenever and wherever is the only positive way forward. Any governance or legislative or company policy also plays a big part.”
While the report also includes more minor complaints, such as actresses being called “kiddo” or “sweetheart” on set, there are plenty of serious cases of misconduct shared within the 19 anonymous comments, all of which can be read in the report at Women In Film’s website. How exactly Hollywood responds to this new information and how it impacts the situation going forward is something that remains to be seen. Things are clearly moving in the right direction, but for some, it isn’t moving fast enough.