MacKenzie Scott Divorce Tell Us, No Matter What People Will Always Target Women

MacKenzie Scott, one of the world's richest philanthropists, filed for divorce from Dan Jewett, a science teacher whom she married in 2019 after splitting from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The divorce attracted mixed reactions from netizens. Few tried to comfort Scott over her failed marriages, few advised her to stay single, and then there were some who couldn't keep themselves from passing sexist remarks. Many opined that women don’t like being with men who have a relatively lower economic status and since Scott went from the richest man in the world to a school teacher, it was hard to make that work. But is this true? Or do people simply love to paint women as gold-diggers?

MacKenzie Scott Divorce, What People Are Talking

Why are women always questioned for getting a divorce irrespective of their financial status? If a rich woman gets a divorce, people are judgmental that she can't handle relationships. If she is economically weaker, she is accused of marrying for the sake of wealth. In the case of Scott, when people say women don’t like to marry down, what one is trying to implicate here is that women prefer a partner who surpasses or matches their financial status. Most women possibly value time in companionship. However, society has always been judgmental of women's relationships that do not fit into approved stereotypes.

When men divorce people are worried about their assets, alimony, and their mental state of going through a divorce. No one judges them over marrying the rich or economically backward woman. No one calls them a gold diggers. For instance, hardly anyone is calling Scott's ex Dan Jewett a gold-digger for marrying a wealthy woman. In fact, Jewett was praised for supporting Scott. A user commented that Jewett had supported his now ex emotionally and helped her keep her net worth stable for the past year.

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Before Jewett too, Scott was handling her net worth smoothly and working for charity. Why this patronising? Why this assumption that Scott did not contribute to the relationship equally? Just being rich doesn't mean she is not a human. Also, when Scott divorced Jeff Bezos, she was criticised for taking hefty alimony. No one considered the role she played in Jeff Bezos's life and business. This is utter sexism.

MacKenzie Scott's divorce shows us how sexism is embedded in our lives. For any individual, deciding to divorce is never easy, because both partners have invested their time, love, in fact, everything in building a relationship. Is it easy to flush over it? No, it is not, this internet trial only inflicts shame and blame on it. Can't people be a little sensitive towards divorcing a person, instead of brutally judging her decision?

Be it a billionaire or an economically struggling woman, society will always find flaws in her and berate her for her decisions. It is not about status, but about gender. Your gender decides whether or not society will validate your decisions. MacKenzie Scott being a public figure has to endure this more prominently.

Society needs to change its gaze towards independent women and their relationships. Every woman and man has the right to walk away from a relationship that isn't working out. There economic status or gender shouldn't shape the narrative around their decision.

The views expressed are the author's own.