The #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns which started in the Hollywood movie industry have now moved to legal firms in New Zealand. Young female interns and graduates who were working in some law firms have now complained about a sexist culture among senior male lawyers. Women were often employed on the basis of their sexual attractiveness. Some of those men in power applied subtle pressure for these women to be available for sex and the women felt they could not refuse or they would lose their job. They had no one they could complain to or if they did complain, nothing was done about it.
Now law departments at universities in New Zealand are taking this seriously. Law schools at all universities have refused to allow one very large law firm to come onto the campus to recruit young graduates. They will not place students in that law firm during the summer vacation either.
The NZ Law Society is keen to make sure this does not occur in the future. While about 60% of law graduates are female these days, most partners of law firms are still male. This has created a power imbalance.
The problem of women being at the mercy of powerful business men is probably not confined to just Hollywood movies and New Zealand law firms. All businesses need to make sure that women are treated equally to men, employed for their skills not for their sex appeal, and know that someone will listen to their complaint if this is not happening.
Vocabulary
• times up – (idiom) it’s time to finish; often used at the end of an exam
• # – hastag used in a Twitter account
• a legal firm – a law company
• subtle – (note that the’ b’ is silent) – slight not strong, difficult to be sure
• take something seriously (idiom) – realise it is important
• imbalance – opposite of balance
• at the mercy of – (idiom) have no choice
• confined – restricted