Cultural Encounters: A Journal For The Theology Of Culture Volume 14 Number 2 | Page 18
Volume 14, Number 2 A JOURNAL FOR THE THEOLOGY OF CULTURE
of women held senior officer and manager positions. In terms of the top
executive positions in business, men overwhelmingly dominate. For
instance, only 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO. 26
In terms of political power, in the fall of 2018 women made up 20 percent
of the 535 members of the US Congress. 27
These gender power discrepancies are quite significant in facilitating sex-
ual assault and harassment. The allegations surrounding Harvey Wein-
stein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, vividly exem-
plify this dynamic. Over and over the eighty-plus women who have ac-
cused him of sexual assault and harassment have reported how he used his
economic and social power to overwhelm, intimidate, and silence them.
Many reported that Weinstein threatened to blackball them in the enter-
tainment industry if they refused his sexual advances. Laura O’Connor, a
former employee of the Weinstein Company, is one of his accusers.
O’Connor was reportedly involved in multiple discussions with actresses
after they had been invited to “private appointments” with Weinstein. In a
memo, O’Connor quotes a young woman who reflects upon her destruc-
tive experience with Weinstein: “I am a 28-year-old woman trying to
make a living and a career. Harvey Weinstein is a 64-year-old, world-fa-
mous man and this is his company. The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey
Weinstein: 10.” 28
In fact, all forms of abuse result from the misuse of power—physical, so-
cial, economic, spiritual, verbal, and so on. Abusers leverage their power
against the vulnerable (Ps 10:8–10; Ez 22:6). The prophet Micah affirmed
this dynamic, saying that evildoers scheme to physically and economically
abuse “because it is in the power of their hand” (Mi 2:2; cf. Eccl 4:1). The
role male power plays in sexual abuse is particularly stark. For example,
Amnon “being stronger,” was able to rape Tamar in spite of her protests
(2 Sm 13:14). As the #MeToo movement has spotlighted, abuse against
women often involves a collaboration between various powerful individu-
als or even institutions. Abuse facilitated by collaborations of the power-
ful has existed long before the #MeToo movement. The Hebrew prophets
repeatedly condemned alliances of spiritual, political, and civic leaders
who misused their power to oppress and abuse the vulnerable. 29
26 Mark Abadi, “There Are Only 25 Women CEOs in the Fortune 500 — Here’s the Full List,” Business
Insider, August 13, 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/fortune-500-companies-women-
ceos-2018-8.
27 Center for American Women and Politics, “Women in Congress 2018,” Rutgers University, http://
www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2018.
28 Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for
Decades,” New York Times, October 5, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-
weinstein-harassment-allegations.html.
29 See Is 1:23; Jer 2:26–34; 5:25–31; 6:13–15; 7:3–11; 17:11; 19:1–5; 22:1–4, 13–17; 23:2–5, 13–17; 30:10–12;
32:32–35; Lam 2:14; 4:13–14; Mi 3:9–12.
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