At the peak of the Me Too movement, “believe women” became a rallying cry. The message was simple: Our default reaction when a woman comes forward with allegations of harassment or abuse should be to believe them. I stand by that idea. Statistically, it’s more likely that a woman is telling the truth, which makes believing what she says—or at least not disbelieving her—the most logical, reasonable, and compassionate response to allegations. 

However, like many catchy sayings, “believe women” can be oversimplified, not just by detractors but by supporters as well. I’ve recently seen it simplified and clung to by fellow feminists in a way that doesn’t actually serve women. When we shift believing women from a default response to a dogmatic rule, it actually dehumanizes women, making it wholly counterproductive to the goals it’s supposed to support.

Let’s be clear about what ‘believe women’ was meant to do

Believing women as the default doesn’t mean believing every woman in every instance, regardless of the circumstances. And it certainly doesn’t mean continuing to believe a woman’s version of a story when actual evidence to the contrary comes to light. 

"believe women" means giving women the benefit of the doubt when it comes to accusations of sexual assault. that's it. it's not that there can be zero scrutiny, it's just not…assuming they are lying. https://t.co/ukznVdMH27— emily may (@emilykmay) July 10, 2026

"believe women" means giving women the benefit of the doubt when it comes to accusations of sexual assault. that's it. it's not that there can be zero scrutiny, it's just........

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