Male dominance starts at home

Men in powerful positions, with subordinates reliant on their approval, have opportunity to play power games with juniors

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

From time immemorial, lack of respect for women and gender inequality are the root cause of criminal assaults upon women.

Sexism in the media and online glorifies inappropriate language and behaviours towards women, displayed in the home, social settings and workplace.

Abuse of power in male-dominated cultures, makes light of sexual advances upon the vulnerable.

The home, where men dominate women and children with aggression or by overpowering, is a microcosm of society.

The socialisation of boys with access to the internet, where they learn the cues about how women are perceived by the powerful, can be toxic and played out in social settings outside the home, to the detriment of the whole society.

It is no surprise the top echelon of our government is not immune from sexual harassment claims against their own.

Men in powerful positions, with subordinates reliant on their approval, have opportunity to play power games with juniors.

This very threat to their careers and professions often maintains a conspiracy of silence about any inappropriate sexual advances.

There is a tolerance of sexism by the vulnerable, due to their subordinate positions. In some religions, girls are easy targets without government protection, such as in Nigeria, by Boko Haram.

Who do the courts believe, when it comes to the "respected" in powerful positions and inappropriate claims by their victims?

Many criminal assaults upon women are never exposed within personal relationship inequities, simply because it is a blight upon the societal structure of male dominance.

Unless women and men have equal status globally in 2021 forward, valued on a level playing field, history will continue to repeat itself.

E Rowe

Marcoola