Table Of Content

‘In this book Jane brings the vast amount of evidence and research together in a way that is compelling and accessible, drawing on her areas of expertise including health behaviour, prevention and sexual violence.’ Claire Bloor, CEO SARSAS (Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support). ‘Sexual abuse happens in communities by members of those communities against each other, and therefore it is our responsibility as members of communities to be aware of the reality of sexual abuse so that we can safety intervene to prevent it from occurring. Which is why this book is so important; we need to talk about sexual abuse to understand it and combat it, which means presenting the evidence base in an informed and accessible way.’ Kieran McCartan, Professor of Criminology. ‘Where prevention work has been done it has not covered a range of forms of violence; for example it has focused more often on domestic violence and less so on other forms, such as sexual harassment, stalking or crimes of “honour”. Jane Meyrick has reviewed some key initiatives in this publication.’ Purna Sen, ex-UN Women Policy Lead, Visiting Professor CWSAU (London Metropolitan University). #MeToo for Women and Men #MeToo for Women and Men provides an overview of sexual violence and an accessible guide to the #MeToo movement, presenting a timely look at the evidence from diverse fields. Its evidence-based approach builds upon public health and health psychology principles to increase the reader’s understanding of sexual bullying and aims to help inform the building of safer communities. The book identifies patterns of sexual harassment and considers how sexual bullying can be used to express power. Intended to widen readers’ knowledge of the causes and impacts surrounding sexual harassment and abuse, the book encourages open discussion of these topics to enable society to move closer to combating it. Using first-person accounts alongside evidence of both individual behaviours and the ways the topic is dealt with in laws, institutions, cultures and organisations, the book ensures that voices of survivors and their experiences are emphasised throughout. A wide audience of public, professional, academics and clinicians will benefit from the book’s extensive look into the impact sexual harassment has on survivors and its insight into how connections across a range of fields help us to understand, but more importantly, prevent perpetration and victimisation. This guide is also for non-academics wanting to understand what #MeToo means, what it tells us about prevention and how to address the increasing problem of sexual harassment, violence and abuse. Jane Meyrick is both a chartered health psychologist and a public health specialist. She has been working in and researching sexual health for over 25 years. Her career spans frontline sexual health services, national policy and research. She has been teaching health psychology since 2006 at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. #MeToo for Women and Men Understanding Power through Sexual Harassment Jane Meyrick Cover image: © Rafael Graf / EyeEm / Getty Images First published 2022 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Jane Meyrick The right of Jane Meyrick to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Meyrick, Jane, author. Title: #MeToo for women and men : understanding power through sexual harassment / Jane Meyrick. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021057890 (print) | LCCN 2021057891 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367767976 (paperback) | ISBN 9780367767983 (hardback) | ISBN 9781003168591 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Sex crimes. | Sexual harassment. | Sexual abuse victims. | Control (Psychology) Classification: LCC HV6556 .M49 2022 (print) | LCC HV6556 (ebook) | DDC 364.15/3—dc23/eng/20220302 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021057890 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021057891 ISBN: 978-0-367-76798-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-76797-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-16859-1 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003168591 Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents About the author xii Acknowledgements xiii Foreword – Claire Bloor xiv Foreword – Kieran McCartan xvii Foreword – Purna Sen xix Introduction 1 1 #MeToo is everywhere – scale 3 What does sexual harassment/bullying look like? 5 What does sexual harassment/bullying feel like? 7 What shall we call it? 8 2 Hotspots – scope 9 Getting from A to B 9 Part of a night out 10 Online 11 Bystander apathy 12 Toxic environments 13 Where we work 14 Where we study 17 Power in short supply – place and poverty 21 3 Who does it happen to? 23 Women 23 The young 23 viii CONTENTS Vulnerable groups 25 Race and intersectionality 25 Non-conforming groups – who you should be 28 Men as survivors 29 4 What is the harm? 31 Harm, a public health perspective 31 Cumulative effect 32 Impact – erase yourself 33 What does recovery look like? 35 5 What is it for? 37 Routes to acts of perpetration 38 Making men 41 6 Enablers 44 Invisibility 44 Silencing voices of blame and shame 45 Rape myths 47 Porn Prosecco 49 Legal immunity 51 Boys will be boys 54 Strange lines in the nature of consent 56 The maps we use 58 7 Hope – prevention 60 Model it – diversity 62 Protect your Daughters Educate your sons 65 Holding resistance 67 Teach it – tackle the culture and make the connections 68 Mark the boundaries across structures 71 Count it – to make it count 73 Make telling easier 74 CONTENTS ix Change how you show it 76 Use the right maps – language and framing 77 Conclusions 79 References 81 Index 113