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So damned angry at MLM schemes preying on women

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WombOfOnesOwn · 23/10/2018 19:23

Women already have far less wealth than men (the wealth gap is much, much wider than the income gap).

And the women I see in my life who are living most precariously are the ones being preyed upon by MLM schemes. Single moms struggling to pay bills, stay-at-home moms with spouses who recently lost a job, women who have been vocal and open about having mental health problems.

These are the women these predators see fit to feast upon. I see them start to sell from their new "kit," exploit their friendships for a frighteningly small amount of money, and end up in debt (and in over their head) after a few months of wall-to-wall discussions of Young Living oils or HerbaLife or whatever.

I am in the US, and it is so, so utterly depressing to watch women who are motivated and working their asses off, but who are spending time on schemes that have no chance of ever paying them a wage they could live on. At least two of these women, I suspect, are abuse victims who are desperately attempting to secure their own funds with which to have some LTB money (I would ask them, and try to get them some money, but I think their spouses monitor the accounts and I'm not sure how to do this without a tipoff...we don't live close enough for an in-person meeting at a neutral location).

It's horrible. For years I've scrolled by and rolled my eyes, and even got annoyed at the women who'd start selling. Now I've realized that it's this massive ecosystem whereby women are preyed upon while vulnerable, then taught that becoming a financial predator themselves is actually doing good for their family and their friends.

Now, I can't just scroll by when I see it. I don't even care if people stop talking to me, I can't watch one more mom struggling to pay for uniforms who's also selling Usborne "for the discount on the products, but also to sell a little on the side, talk to me for more details," without speaking up.

The single biggest reason these schemes prey on women is because of our female socialization.

See that paragraph about not being quiet any more? Men wouldn't have been quiet in the first place, if their best buddy was suddenly trying to financially exploit their longstanding friendship. When they notice, they bring it up, they bring evidence to the table, and they talk the person out of doing it. Men have been socialized to call things what they are, and speak the truth, even if that person might feel embarrassed by finding out they've been duped, or ashamed upon recognizing that they've duped their friends.

Women, on the other hand, think about someone else's feelings. "She'll figure it out for herself soon enough anyway, and there's no point talking her out of it, she'll just be embarrassed," we think. "How could I ever tell my friend that she's been selling her friends snake oil? She'd be heartbroken, I can't break the news to her even though she would probably trust me. I'll tell her if she ever gets really wrapped up in it, but I'll just let it run its course otherwise."

Over and over, the women who get into these schemes have predominantly female friend groups. Again: men will tell you if your business idea is shit. They might even tell you it's shit if it's not. But other women will say "GO GIRL, get that cash, start your home-based business, wooooo!" We're trained to be the optimists, the cheerleaders, the "maybe she's the one in a hundred who'll make it, and I have to stick by my friend and support her through thick and thin" sex.

I think that if women stopped being so reluctant to call out these schemes ... they'd come to a stop, or at least stop being so skewed toward the female sex. WDYT?

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SuperLoudPoppingAction · 23/10/2018 19:45

I voice my objections quite clearly when I get the chance.
At work, in Facebook groups etc.

I drop links like timelessvie.wordpress.com