Misogyny in politics today and how inappropriate male behaviour has been normalised.

Misogyny and inappropriate behaviour by males, especially in the political 
professional has become disgustingly normalised. From some of the most loved men in British broadcasting in the 60’s to the current  ‘most powerful man in the world’.

In 2011, rumours and accusations arose as reports of Sir Jimmy Savile's death surfaced. Savile was the first and last presenter of the popular show ‘Top of the Pops’, during this time he was exposed to many young girls and during his lifetime there had been allegations of sexual misconduct but the accusers  were dismissed and ignored or disbelieved. One of the main reasons is because no one could believe that a charity advocate like Jimmy Savile could ever think about mistreating vulnerable (young) women. Little did the people of the past know that, when Sir Jimmy Savile would die, thousands of people would come forward and express the trauma that he had put them through. His male power was evident when majority of the cases were “swept under the rug”, this led to him being punished after his death. Sir Jimmy Savile was not the only person to take advantage of his power and position during this time, there were also people like Rolf Harris. These men were very influential and powerful during and after their time, this caused less people to feel comfortable to come forward and express the pain that they had to endure as they were afraid of the repercussions that they might face by the people in power.

Most recently, misogyny and inappropriate behaviour in politics has become so normalised and prominent in today's society, that it should be illegal. Donald Trump is now seen to be “the most powerful man in the world” as he is the leader of the United States of America; yet he finds it very difficult to conduct himself in a responsible and respectful manner around women. Mr Trump has excessively been accused of having inappropriate interactions with women, there is even video evidence of him speaking with uncouth language. Like in the past, nothing has been done about the accusations despite the fact that there is an over abundance of evidence that illustrates how Donald Trump is guilty. In spite of the fact that there is a significant amount of evidence, Mr Trump still managed to win the 2017 election.

Just like in America, British politics has also been involved with it's  own scandals. Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have recently reported events of rape yet their accusations were severely dismissed because of the incompetence of the authorities. In particular, Bex Bailey had reported that after a party event in 2011 she was unfortunately raped. It is a shame to report that in 2017 women are still treated with very little respect despite the fact that they have to work two times harder than men. Sir Michael Fallon, the former Defence Secretary, has resigned after admitting his behaviour had been completely inappropriate after the journalist, Jane Merrick, had reported that he had lunged at her after a working lunch 14 years ago. 

Even though it may seem that misogyny and inappropriate behaviour has become more apparent in today's society, it is just that more people are aware of the unjust events that are taking place because of platforms such as social media. 

                            Jada Lee St. Philomena's.