Harassment is definitely a problem. According to a study by a Western American Writer’s Guild, 64% of women writers and 11% of men experience harassment as a result of their writing.

But it’s bigger than that.

We have a societal preference for mens’ opinions. It’s not just “out there” — it happens right here at Medium. 85% of the top writers on Medium are men. Do we really think men are just better writers? No. Probably not. But we do still see mens’ opinions as more valid.

Know what happens? We clap for a woman’s writing, but we follow men more often than we follow women. Look at your own list. You follow less than 200 writers. Your own list is predominantly men. Bet you didn’t even notice. Most people don’t. That’s exactly what social and cultural means.