In the era of the #MeToo movement, the recent upheaval of countless sexual allegations against prominent figures has sparked the long overdue conversation of sexual misconduct within the workplace and the mass media.
With the downfall of the well-accredited film producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, men and women around the world expressed their endless support and outrage for victims of sexual assault. However, it’s certainly no surprise that men are still dominating the entertainment industry and the workforce.
Gender inequality within the workforce has devalued women to an extent where they are not appreciated, taken seriously or recognized. Amid the ongoing debate, the widely known American entertainment company, Netflix, has entered the public eye for its accusations of gender inequality.
After the wave of #MeToo stories the movement was revived and primarily geared its focus on no longer silencing survivors of sexual assault. Over time the movement has also evolved in order to create a space for people impacted by gender inequality.
However, it’s not the first time the movement has developed a presence. In fact, ten years ago, activist Tarana Burke founded the now-publicized movement aimed to empower sexual assault victims in underprivileged communities. That goal was surpassed as the mass media and social networks quickly got a hold of the movement.
In a recent interview done with Ebony Magazine, Burke stated, “It wasn’t built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag that is here today and forgotten tomorrow.” However, the prominent hashtag has managed to become more than a 280 character tweet.
Yet in the wake of the recent Weinstein debacle, #MeToo has drawn community attention to the area that seems to breed sexual assault the most - the workplace. In turn, this has highlighted an undeniable link between gender inequality and sexual assault within the workplace.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), “The Government Accountability Office (GAO), in a recent report shows that in 2010 women constituted 59 percent of the low-wage workforce. ”
In one of the most recent controversies surrounding the bias, Oscar-winning actress Mo’nique Hicks accused Netflix of underpaying her in comparison to some of her male comedic counterparts. On Jan. 19, Mo’nique asked her fans to boycott the streaming service via Instagram due to “gender and color bias” after she was offered a $500,000 comedy deal.
Mo’nique said fellow comedian Amy Schumer was offered $11 million. Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock were offered upwards of $20 million. Netflix has declined to comment on contract negotiations.
The 2016 Global Gender Gap Report announced, “Women’s average earnings are nearly half that of men’s and women had to work longer hours than men for the same pay.”
Through the boycott, Mo’Nique is trying to shine a spotlight on the difficult experiences of being a black woman in society, not only as a celebrity but in the everyday workplace.
According to the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), “Black women experience a wage gap at every education level — even when they have earned graduate degrees. Whether they work in low wage or high wage occupations, black women are typically paid less than white, non-hispanic men in the same occupations. Black women experience a wage gap across occupations.”
Ultimately this conversation is much bigger than Netflix, it’s realizing that the time to act on inclusion and equality for all is now.
On Jan. 19, actress Mo'nique Hicks called for a boycott of Netflix due to their attempts to underpay black women and continuing to enable the gender wage gap.
