Characterizing Survivors' Descriptions of #MeToo Backlash

After going "viral" in 2017, #MeToo brought renewed attention to the issue of sexual violence. While research suggests #MeToo has benefited survivors, journalists have frequently referenced a perceived "backlash." Drawing on interdisciplinary conceptualizations of social backlash, this study aimed to systematically catalogue types of perceived #MeToo backlash among survivors. Using an inductive thematic analytic approach, the study team coded 324 survivors' responses to an open-ended survey question about examples of #MeToo backlash they have heard about. Nine codes characterized participants' descriptions and were organized into four themes - Denial of the Severity and Reality of Rape, Threats to Traditional Power Structures, Repercussions of Disclosure/Activism, and Dissatisfaction with the #MeToo Movement. Survivors described multiple forms of backlash occurring at various levels of the social ecology. By categorizing perceptions of backlash, this study lays the groundwork for future work querying survivors' direct experiences of backlash and its influence on their lives.