It’s impossible to deny that people possess different amounts of power in different facets of their lives. When another person enters that equation, the original person’s power might look different than the new person’s. An individual might have more or less power in different areas, and sometimes, those areas can directly affect a relationship — of any nature — between the two.
Power manifests in many different forms. According to Laura Bennett, NSU’s Title IX Director, power might have a basis — real or perceived — in gender, economic status, physical ability, disability, age, established authority and much more. In the context of intimacy, any of these factors might put one partner at a disadvantage. To determine whether that potential is rectifiable and healthy, one must consider to what extent the disbalance allows for choice and effective communication within the relationship’s context or whether it ultimately prevents those components.
Bennett said, “I think there’s always instances of power difference in relationships. Even when relationships haven’t started, [power] plays a role in how [people] think about each other. Once in a relationship, it can play a larger role and change over time.”
For instance, one person might have an identical amount of power as their coworker — who might be a friend or significant other — in a workplace but later receive a promotion that requires the coworker to report to the individual. In this, and similar cases, where does this imbalance leave us?
For one, Bennett mentioned people often leave power dynamics unaddressed, and “unspoken perceptions or realities of power affect the idea of consent in two different ways: Someone who is in a position of power might not seek consent appropriately, and someone who perceives that their partner has more power may feel that they are forced to [consent] or do not have the ability to say no.”
Power differences sometimes may be rectifiable but often are not. In terms of finance, a couple might communicate clear boundaries that ensure the partner who has less financial privilege is not reliant on or controlled by their partner in that aspect. In a workplace, H.R. or management may shift a supervisor’s duties to prevent an unhealthy power discrepancy between that supervisor and an employee who are in a relationship. Still, keep in mind that professional influence may lie outside of a singular institution. If a person has power within a particular field, Bennet mentioned that that person might always be able to influence professional reputation and future job opportunity, regardless of power in the individual’s workplace itself, and this factor adds complexity to the problem of workplace relationships.
In these fixable cases, Bennet said, “Communication is key to ensuring that there’s real conversation about what [power differentials] look like [moving forward].”
However, a minor can never give informed consent to an adult, and an authority figure, such as a professor, approaching someone they have preside over, such as a student, has no chance at an equitable foundation on which to build an intimate relationship, romantic or otherwise.
Further, power imbalance may arise in situations people would not expect based on socio political preconceptions. Specifically, Bennet mentions emotional abuse of men by women or emotion abuse in the context of LGBTQ realtionships. In these situations, a person who might not reflect power from a cultural perspective may in fact facilitate their own power through gradual manipulation or potent coercion throughout their relationships. Acknowledging that this power is very real and has a direct affect on a relationship and a person’s autonomy within that relationship is crucial to understanding abuses of power such as sexual assault or other forms of violence.
