LSE IQ Episode 13: Are We Seeing a New Gender Equality Revolution?

Podcast: LSE: Public lectures and events
Host: LSE Film and Audio Team
Date: April 3, 2018

Episode Overview

This episode explores the surge in attention to gender equality over the past year, focusing on events like MeToo, the gender pay gap, and high-profile sexual harassment scandals. Host Joanna Bell and guests—including broadcaster Sandy Toksvig, Professor Beverley Skeggs, author/activist Winnie Lee, and criminologist Professor Jennifer Brown—examine whether these shifts truly mark a revolutionary moment for gender equality or if history is repeating itself in cycles of outrage and slow progress.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Gender Inequality in the Workplace

• Statistics Highlighting Disparity:

  • In 2016, only 7 women led top 100 London Stock Exchange companies, compared to 17 men named John and 14 named Dave ([00:47]).
  • Persistent gender pay gap: The Equal Pay Act dates back to 1960 in Britain, yet women still work the equivalent of several months unpaid, with equal pay projected as far away as 2186 ([02:22]).

• Quote:

  "There are more men called John running FTSE 100 companies than there are women."
  — Sandy Toksvig ([00:58])

• Media Representation:

  • Sandy Toksvig was the first woman to host a British primetime panel show—in 2016—reflecting deep-seated industry biases ([02:28]).

The Power and Paradox of #MeToo

• Global Impact:

  • The movement brought issues of sexual violence and harassment into mainstream and tabloid media, fueling worldwide attention ([04:25]).

• Quote:

  "Because of the sheer scale of it... The women who've been involved are irresistible to tabloid journalism and mainstream media."
  — Professor Beverley Skeggs ([04:25])

• Social Media’s Role:

  • Enabled mass sharing, but also unleashed waves of misogynistic abuse. Activists like Caroline Criado Perez were subjected to online threats, which paradoxically kept issues in public view ([05:26], [06:02]).

• Accountability Shift:

  • Heightened scrutiny forced institutions to reckon with reputational risk, compelling them to create mechanisms of accountability ([06:10]).

Sexual Harassment in Professional Cultures

• Film Industry:

  • Winnie Lee describes pervasive sexual objectification—casting based on body type, parties as business venues, and normalized propositions—even for women behind the camera ([08:06]).
  • Structural inequality: "90% of directors are men ... men and boys are more socialized to have that confidence [than] women" ([08:56]).

• Policing:

  • Professor Jennifer Brown’s research found that despite decades-old legislation against discrimination, workplace cultures remain macho and hostile, with women expected to accept sexist environments as “wallpaper” ([12:34]).
  • Reporting mechanisms exist but are rarely used due to fear of career damage ([15:15]).

The Continuum of Misogynistic Behaviour

• Spectrum Argument:

  • Winnie Lee discusses why conflating different types of sexual misconduct is valid, as unchecked “minor” behaviors can escalate to violence; victims often experience the full spectrum ([17:38]).

• Quote:

  "If behavior isn't being called out, if it's not being held accountable, then that enables worse behavior to happen."
  — Winnie Lee ([18:38])

• Organizational Tolerance:

  • Brown’s research finds “banter” and jokes help normalize more serious offenses ([19:54]).

• Link to Objectification:

  • Skeggs emphasizes how sexual harassment is tied to wide-ranging objectification and normalization of women’s exploitation across society ([20:49]).

Class, Media, and the “Glamorous Victim” Narrative

• Media Symbolism:

  • Skeggs urges a focus on the abuse of working-class women, pointing to media’s devaluation of their experiences compared to “glamorous” victims like celebrities ([24:24]).

• Quote:

  "We need to keep focusing on those that cannot get the tabloid coverage for being glamorous victims."
  — Beverley Skeggs ([24:57])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Patriarchal Corporate Culture:

  "It's kind of symptomatic, isn't it?"
  — Sandy Toksvig on being the first woman to host a British primetime show ([02:28])

• On MeToo’s Social Media Consequences:

  "All the hatred is unearthed, but that also means the hatred almost keeps the campaign alive."
  — Beverley Skeggs ([06:02])

• On Accepting Hostile Work Environments:

  "She didn't notice it anymore because it was all part of the ambient environment, the wallpaper."
  — Jennifer Brown ([13:03])

• On Escalation of Male Violence:

  "Perpetrators don't just go from zero to violently raping a stranger that they see. There would have been...escalating assaults of different forms."
  — Winnie Lee ([23:00])

Policy Solutions: "If I Were Prime Minister..."

• Jennifer Brown:

  • Stay in the EU for continued legislative pressure towards equal opportunities ([26:55]).

• Beverley Skeggs:

  • Ensure “decent wages for decent work with decent conditions” so women are not forced to exploit themselves to survive; plus, create robust accountability systems ([27:40]).

• Winnie Lee:

  • Mandate gender parity on company boards and in government for better representation and decision making ([28:50]).

Are We Seeing a Revolution? Final Reflections

• Brown:

  • Skeptical; sees history repeating in cycles, with little institutional change despite repeated outcries ([29:23]).

• Quote:

  "I don't see it as a new revolution. I think it just is bringing our attention back to an existing problem."
  — Jennifer Brown ([29:50])

• Skeggs:

  • More optimistic, citing MeToo’s unprecedented breadth and the possibility of lasting impact ([31:57]).

• Lee:

  • Hopeful; sees “strength in numbers” and a generational shift toward openness about experiences, but stresses the importance of turning outrage into policy ([33:01], [34:49]).

• Quote:

  "If we were only to share it and have, I suppose, the world realize how prevalent it is, then maybe things can change."
  — Winnie Lee ([33:40])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:47] – Sandy Toksvig on women’s representation in corporate leadership
• [04:25] – Beverley Skeggs on MeToo’s global impact
• [08:06] – Winnie Lee on sexual harassment in the film industry
• [12:34] – Jennifer Brown on sexism in the police force
• [17:38] – Winnie Lee on the appropriateness of a “spectrum” of misogyny in MeToo
• [19:54] – Brown and Skeggs on workplace banter and deep-seated cultural objectification
• [24:24] – Skeggs on media and institutional neglect of working-class victims
• [26:55] – Policy wish list from each expert
• [29:23] – Closing reflections: is this a revolution or more of the same?

Tone and Language

The episode features direct, frank conversation, grounded in lived experience and research, with both frustration at inertia and hope for change. Experts are candid about both the persistent challenges and possibilities for real progress.

Useful for listeners who missed the episode:
This summary captures the core arguments, statistics, major themes, and compelling personal and expert testimony, providing a comprehensive overview of this episode’s critical examination of whether movements like #MeToo herald a genuine revolution in gender equality or another fleeting cycle of attention.