What is the role of the MeToo movement as a social movement in resisting gender-based violence and promoting women´s rights?: A comparative case study of the United States and India
2020 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
Social (online) movements have become popular in the fourth wave of feminism, but there is a question how much those can impact on women´s lives. For instance, gender-based violence is a problem affecting women worldwide, but still many stay silent about it. In this thesis the role of the MeToo movement will be examined in resisting gender-based violence and promoting women´s rights with the cases of the US and India. I use IR feminism to investigate violence, women´s rights and women´s visibility. From my comparative case study with Most Different System Design with the US and India I argue that the MeToo movement has brought awareness about sexual harassment, encouraged women to speak up and shook the patriarchal system. Here the celebrity discourses have been important, while boosting the movement to a direction that other countries might not have. Nevertheless, the MeToo movement includes weaknesses such as marginalization and intersectionality, and it seems the movement impacts more in public than in private. Moreover it is important that the state supports the goals of the MeToo movement through legislation, so its effects would be long-term, and because current laws on sexual harassment are exclusive both in India and the US.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2020. , p. 37
Keywords [en]
The MeToo movement, IR feminism, the fourth wave of feminism, gender-based violence, women´s rights, social movements, India, the United States, the celebrity discourse, online activism, social media
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-36904OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-36904DiVA, id: diva2:1502783
Educational program
KS GPS International Relations
Supervisors
Examiners
2021-01-132020-11-212021-01-13Bibliographically approved