“Not All Men” Trend is an Attack Against the 97%

You hear it from statistics, stories, and experiences: a vast majority of women have experienced sexual harassment and assault. Nonetheless women’s voices have been continuously silenced. 

As yet another ploy to silence women, the argument “not all men” has arisen to make the point that it is not all men who enact inappropriate sexual behavior toward women.

A recent study in the U.K. found that 97% of women had experienced sexual harassment in public settings. Yet, critics have try to slander the study with the trend “Not All Men”. Source: @byrachaeluk on Instagram

This argument becomes even more irrelevant after YouGov recently published the results of a survey of over 1,000 women of all ages across the United Kingdom. The survey was commissioned by U.N. Women U.K, the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality throughout the country. The main goal of the survey was to promote the U.N.’s Safe Spaces Now campaign that aims to identify solutions for women’s safety in public settings. 

The results of the survey found that 97% of women ages 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, with more than 70% of women of all ages having experienced the same behavior. After YouGov published the results, the statistics spread like a wildfire on social media, with the hashtag #97percent trending and survivors sharing their stories making reference to being “part of the 97%.”

Another study, conducted by YouGov in 2017 and was listed in the same report, explored which public places women experienced the most sexual harassment. The study found that 56% percent of women have experienced sexual harassment in the street and 53% have experienced it in a pub, club, or bar. A 2020 YouGov study found that public transportation was also a high-risk area, with 64% of women confirming they experienced sexual harassment on the tube. 

Following the release of this study’s data, a wave of critics emerged on Twitter using the hashtag #notallmen. The “Not all Men” defense began shortly following the #metoo movement, as some men felt personally attacked with women sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault. They took a threat to women’s safety as a personal attack, valuing their pride over womens’ lives. This recent survey depicting the 97%, unfortunately incited opponents to critique the movement again, either questioning the statistic or defending it by saying they don’t harass or assault women.  

The “Not All Men” trend directly attacks survivors of sexual assault who are also driven to bring awareness to this disgusting yet common treatment of women. The “Not All Men” trend twists the narrative of anyone who is trying to have the conversation regarding violence against women, into being a ‘man hater.’ As a result, it allows men to deny accountability and completely derails the topic from the focus on women’s issues into a defense tactic to put the blame back on women.  

When men assault women, they take their safety, confidence, and happiness. Let’s not let them take their stories too. We must refocus the narrative to be on women, who are the victims, who are the 97%.

This is because, yes, women know not all men are predators stalking the night. Women know not all men seen on the street corner are planning an attack on the first women they see. But all women have grown up on the ideology that we must be ready to protect ourselves. We learned to grip keys between our knuckles when walking alone. We learned to never travel with headphones and always be alert of the surroundings. We learned to pack a pair of running shoes, because escaping an assailant in heels is much more difficult. 

While one case is sufficient for intervention, 97% of women having experienced the same disgusting behavior makes this an even more widespread issue. It’s correct not all men have been violent, harassed, or attacked women, however, all women have to be afraid for their lives.