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Women go online to protest 'everyday sexism'
LONDON (AP) — When Laura Bates was followed home one night by a man from her bus, she didn’t think much of it. Incidents like that just seemed to be part of living in London.
But the writer said several other similar situations followed within days: One stranger shouted obscenities at her out of a car window. Another propositioned her forcefully in a cafe. A third groped her on the bus, and commuters looked away when she spoke up. She was startled not so much by the incidents — but how accustomed she had become to brushing such behavior aside and not taking action.
‘‘I started talking to other women, and I couldn’t believe how many stories they had. I think many of us just think ‘maybe I'm unlucky,'’’ said Bates, 27, in an interview. ‘‘Just like me, so many of them said ‘until you asked me, I've never talked to anyone about this.'’’
Those conversations triggered the birth of the Everyday Sexism project, a website that Bates set up for women to share their experiences of sexism and harassment in their daily lives — in the office, on the train, in school or on the street. Two years on, what started as a simple idea has become a movement that is steadily gaining momentum, galvanizing support from politicians, police and thousands of women and men from Britain and beyond.
The project has collected 70,000 posts from some 20 countries, describing a wide range of unwelcome behavior and offenses from a colleague’s casual comment to unreported rapes. Many tell of assault, threats of violence and verbal abuse in public places. Others report seemingly innocuous behavior and comments: One woman tells how a sales assistant handed back her change to her male friend, after she had paid for the goods.
Some are disturbing because those posting are so young: A 12-year-old wrote to tell how she was told to ‘‘get back in the kitchen’’ by her male classmates when she raised her hand to say something, and numerous preteens say they are harassed daily by men who shout at or touch them on the way to school.
But the writer said several other similar situations followed within days: One stranger shouted obscenities at her out of a car window. Another propositioned her forcefully in a cafe. A third groped her on the bus, and commuters looked away when she spoke up. She was startled not so much by the incidents — but how accustomed she had become to brushing such behavior aside and not taking action.
‘‘I started talking to other women, and I couldn’t believe how many stories they had. I think many of us just think ‘maybe I'm unlucky,'’’ said Bates, 27, in an interview. ‘‘Just like me, so many of them said ‘until you asked me, I've never talked to anyone about this.'’’
Those conversations triggered the birth of the Everyday Sexism project, a website that Bates set up for women to share their experiences of sexism and harassment in their daily lives — in the office, on the train, in school or on the street. Two years on, what started as a simple idea has become a movement that is steadily gaining momentum, galvanizing support from politicians, police and thousands of women and men from Britain and beyond.
The project has collected 70,000 posts from some 20 countries, describing a wide range of unwelcome behavior and offenses from a colleague’s casual comment to unreported rapes. Many tell of assault, threats of violence and verbal abuse in public places. Others report seemingly innocuous behavior and comments: One woman tells how a sales assistant handed back her change to her male friend, after she had paid for the goods.
Some are disturbing because those posting are so young: A 12-year-old wrote to tell how she was told to ‘‘get back in the kitchen’’ by her male classmates when she raised her hand to say something, and numerous preteens say they are harassed daily by men who shout at or touch them on the way to school.
http://www.boston.com/business/news/2014/07/20/women-online-protest-everyday-sexism/XAY5QVAY63Gt83H2FdikoM/story.html
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