Russell Brand. Tim Westwood. Sean "Diddy" Combs. Mohamed Al Fayed. Conor McGregor. These are just some of the men who have hit the headlines recently for sexual misconduct towards women, ranging from harassment and abuse to assault and rape.

Recent days have seen Gregg Wallace added to the list. A number of allegations against Wallace dating back almost two decades refer to sexually explicit and inappropriate remarks directed at co-stars, colleagues and contestants on MasterChef, which Wallace has co-presented since 2005.

The presenter Kirstie Allsopp of Channel 4 and the BBC journalist Kirsty Wark are two of the 13 people who have accused him of inappropriate remarks and behaviour, including talking openly about sexual escapades, making rape jokes and appearing to touch a woman intimately in a non-consensualWithout consent or agreement. manner.

One might perhaps have expected a bit of humilityThe quality of having a modest or low view of one's own importance. from a man accused seemingly from all corners. But Wallace sparked further controversy when he dismissed his accusers, calling them all "middle-class women of a certain age", and pointing out that of the 4,000 contestants "of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life", "only" 13 complaints had been made.

He was widely criticised for the remark, which some said was ignorant of the ways in which it can be difficult for women to speak up in the workplace until they have a certain level of seniority and confidence in their position.

"Why say nothing? Because you feel, in no particular order, a prude, shocked, waiting for a male colleague to call him out, not wanting to 'rock the boat', thinking it's better to plough on with the day," said Kirstie Allsop in response.

Wallace subsequently issued an apology for the remark, saying "I wasn't in a good head space when I posted it. I've been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege." He added that he would now "take some time out", withdrawing from the public eye.

Wallace's lawyers stated that it is "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".

"The Gregg Wallace debacleA complete failure, often deserving ridicule. shows that lad cultureLad culture is a term used to describe a set of behaviours, attitudes, and practices that are often associated with young heterosexual men. is over," declared a headline in the London Evening Standard. But many say that the fiascoA complete failure, especially a humiliating one. only underlines the landslide of discrimination facing women, particularly in the workplace.

A poll issued in 2023 showed that three in five women have experienced harassment at work - rising to almost two in three women in the 25-34 age group. Two in five women have experienced at least three incidents of sexual harassment.¹

Nor is the issue restricted to professional women. Prejudice can be rife online, in schools and in the home.

Research commissioned by Vodafone earlier this year showed that almost 70% of boys aged 11-14 have encountered posts promoting misogynyHatred of or discrimination against women. The term comes from the Ancient Greek "miso", meaning "hate", and "gyne", "woman". online and 42% of parents reported hearing their sons make sexual, violent, or degrading comments about women and girls, because of what they had seen online.²

This week, conversations were also sparked about inequalities in academia and the impact of online misogyny, after an academic's post celebrating her PhD garnered more than 80 million views and sparked threats of rape and violence by male users.³

Is sexism getting worse?

Yes: That Gregg Wallace's accusers were allegedly first victimised by inappropriate sexual remarks, and later targeted by a casually sexist remark dubbing them "middle-class women of a certain age", perfectly encapsulates the double oppression suffered by women speaking out about their ordeals. Sexism is certainly getting worse.

No: If anything, this incident shows that we have a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexism. Gregg Wallace has been forced to apologise and his career has been effectively put on hold thanks to the claims.

Or... It is clear that sexism has all but ended in some areas. There is a greater percentage of women than men in higher education now, for example. But there are still strong social forces promoting misogyny, and according to many measures, misogynistic attitudes are getting worse.