This week, Hollywood had its world turned upside down after a New York Times article was recently published containing detailed allegations that Academy Award-winning director, Harvey Weinstein, has been sexually harassing women for decades.
The investigation originally began with the actress, Ashley Judd; however, more victims have been coming forward and speaking out about the inappropriate advances Weinstein has made on them. A few of these names include A-list celebrities such as Gwenyth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. The allegations date back almost three decades, however, Weinstein has reportedly been paying these victims to stay silent. Numerous employees and executives within his company had been aware of Weinsteins actions for years. Since the allegations have gotten global attention, Weinstein was fired Monday from the company of which he created.
Unfortunately, this isn't a new trend in the media business. Earlier this year, Fox News founder, Roger E. Ailes, and host, Bill O'Reilly, were also accused of sexual harassment against female Fox News employees. Fox News Corporation had also paid out the accusers of these allegations.
And while women are making great gains in almost all professions, the media industry is still a male-dominated environment. The pattern between these three cases is all the same: powerful men are extending an offer to help female employees who are new to the business and then later wanting an exchange for sexual behavior. These men are purposely manipulating women and putting them in a situation where saying "no" may lead to the end of their careers. Currently, almost two-thirds of female journalist report experiences of sexual harassment and other threats.
So what is the solution to this? While there is no clear answer to this question, the actions taken by the Weinstein Company to remove Harvey Weinstein will serve as a message that there is some justice for those who have been victims of sexual harassment. Also, more women need to stand together and report any experiences of harassment in the workplace and show support for one another. If society becomes united against sexual harassment, eventually it will begin to cease.