And we’re behind them all the way.
The past year has been one big slap in the face to women, from Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the US presidential election and the consequential threats to our reproductive rights to the more recent wave of sexual harassment allegations, revealing the extent to which women are abused in the workplace.
Despite all this, 2017 has also been a watershed year for us all - seeing women rise up and stand together with millions taking part in the women’s march, #metoo movement and more.
Proving that this momentum isn’t going to slow down any time soon, Meryl Streep - one of the actresses who shared her own experiences of assault - has explained how she and her fellow A-list actresses are taking down sexism in Hollywood once and for all.
During a discussion at the Massachusetts Conference for Women on Thursday, Meryl told Gloria Steinem her plans for gender equality.
‘Right now, I’m getting together with a bunch of actresses that you know very well, and we’re all sort of going to make a set of non-negotiable demands,’ the 68-year-old actress explained to the audience. ‘We’re after 50/50 by 2020.’
With the recent awareness around the issue sparked by the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment allegations, Meryl went on to explain the link between abuse and power.
‘The thing abound Harvey Weinstein is that he is sort of the most gargantuan example of a kind of disrespect that permeates every industry, every enterprise,’ she explained. ‘I’m not sure why. I have a lot of theories — maybe its in response to the women’s movement. Maybe its in fear of the women movement. But these abuses are about dominance.’
Calling for change and the need for equality, she continued: ‘There are always three women on a board, and then there are 9 or 12 or 14 other people. Equal means equal. And if it starts at the top, none of these shenanigans would have filtered down and been tolerated.’
‘Part of the problem is that there’s no horrible plot at the top of Hollywood not to keep people of colour or women out of leadership positions. It’s that “like hires like.” White hires white, a guy who wears his baseball cap backwards hires a guy who wears his baseball cap backwards - so we have to encourage the people who are currently in power, who are of one gender, to open the door.’
‘It’s gonna fixed,’ she assured the crowd. ‘It’s gonna get all cleaned up.’
If there’s anyone we trust to take on the job, it’s Meryl.
