The year that just finished felt like the year that women spoke up. In the US, it started with the historically huge Women’s March on Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. More quietly, 2017 saw more American women deciding to run for local, state and federal government positions.

Then, in October, the #MeToo movement took off and continued to roar through the end of the year. The movement is a social media-based effort to shine a light on sexual harassment and assault. In the vast majority of cases, women have long felt powerless to stop harassment and assault, let alone speak out against the perpetrators. In workplaces, on the streets, on public transport and many other places around the world, men who held power over women have abused that power by harassing and even assaulting women. This has long enraged women, but many lacked any recourse. The few times when women did speak out against men in power, they were often belittled, demeaned and blamed, and frequently failed to achieve any change.

The #MeToo movement offered an opportunity for women to realize how many others had endured similar experiences and to help them work together to try to make workplaces, streets and other public places safer. It was not the first time that women spoke up, but the conditions in 2017 were ripe for a new movement to take root. Furthermore, a key part of #MeToo gaining initial momentum was the fact that many famous celebrities spoke out about their experiences; it was harder for powerful men to dismiss them as liars, as so often has happened when less famous women spoke out in the past.

Within a short span of time, multiple high-profile men — especially in the US media and entertainment industries — lost their jobs due to their past behavior. For a society accustomed to seeing few or no consequences for such men, this was stunning.

In politics, a few men have experienced consequences in recent weeks, but perpetrators with political power are still better protected, and partisan divides complicate any unified zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and assault. A few senior men in other industries also lost their positions but, in 2018 and future years, the #MeToo movement’s success will depend largely on whether its effects are limited to media and entertainment or also percolate into other industries and government.

Importantly, the #MeToo movement has not been limited to the US. Women from around the world have used the English #MeToo hashtag to share their stories and call for change, while similar hashtags have been developed in other languages, such as #Ana_kaman and #BalanceTonPorc.

Women around the world endure sexual harassment, assault and rape, and have shared experiences with feeling shamed, blamed and powerless. Globally, there were some important, positive steps to protect and empower women in 2017; for example, in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia moved to criminalize sexual harassment, Tunisia passed a law to combat violence against women, and Lebanon and Jordan removed legal loopholes that allowed a rapist to evade punishment by marrying his victim. The global #MeToo movement provided an additional avenue for women around the world to address these concerns.

#MeToo movement offered an opportunity for women to realize how many others had endured similar experiences and to help them work together to try to make workplaces, streets and other public places safer.

Kerry Boyd Anderson

The women behind these movements want to see serious consequences for men who abuse women and a deep societal change so that women are safer in workplaces and public spaces. The next year will likely see increased demands for consequences for perpetrators of harassment and assault and changes in laws to better protect those who speak out.

Another potential change in 2018 is an increase in the number of women in positions of power. A key factor that allowed #MeToo to take off in late 2017 was the growing role of women in many workplaces, especially in media and politics. In the past, many women were easily silenced by powerful men and had few allies willing to stand up for them. While women remain a minority in most workplaces and government offices, there might now be a sufficient critical mass of women in power to start taking their voices seriously. This was evident, for example, in the US Congress, where female senators led calls for Senator Al Franken, accused of sexual harassment by several women, to resign. The next year will likely see more women seeking government office and top positions in the private sector in many countries.

Less tangibly, perhaps one of the biggest successes of the #MeToo movement is sparking conversations between men and women — husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, friends, colleagues — about the differences in men’s and women’s experiences and the power differentials between genders. When men and women can discuss these issues together in a spirit of trying to better understand and support each other, much good can come from these conversations. This is especially important in addressing issues that might be specific to different cultures; while women around the world have shared experiences, the specific natures of the challenges they face and effective solutions still vary, and conversations among men and women within a specific culture are critical to facilitating effective change that benefits everyone.

The movement’s future in 2018 is unclear. Will it fizzle out, or will it expand into other cultures, industries and beyond the professional classes? Will there be a backlash? Whatever happens, it will be difficult to silence women to the same extent as in the past.

• Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 14 years’ experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risks. Her previous positions include deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica and managing editor of Arms Control Today. Twitter: @KBAresearch