Why can men like Jeffrey Epstein get away with sexually abusing young girls, for years, in plain sight?

Its tempting to chalk it up to the power of money and fame, but thats just the icing on the cake. Wealth enabled Epstein to pay for fancy lawyers and finagle a sweetheart deal for himself even after the feds came knocking at his door more than a decade ago .

On Thursday, federal Judge Richard Berman ruled that Epstein will have to remain in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges . The 66-year-old, who is accused of abusing dozens of girls in New York and Florida during the early 2000s, is facing up to 45 years in prison. His lawyers had argued that before trial, he should simply be confined to his townhouse in Manhattan one of the most opulent in the city, valued at between $56 million and $77 million.

That Epstein is actually facing consequences for his actions is unusual. He has successfully evaded justice for a long time, and not merely because of his money. You dont have to be a millionaire or a celebrity to get away with abusing girls. Or assaulting and raping women, for that matter. Anyone can do it. When youre not famous, its even less likely anyone will care.

In a country ruled almost exclusively by men, theres power simply in being male. Thats patriarchy. Men, particularly white men, hold the reins. They get the benefit of the doubt. Women, particularly girls, and especially those who are poor or of color, do not. Theyre playthings and sexual objects starting from a heartbreakingly young age.

When theyre abused, theyre often blamed or ignored.

The facts are damning. In 49 out of 50 rape cases, the rapist goes free, according to a report this week in The Atlantic . Typically, these men rape is a male-dominated occupation do it again. Most rapes and sexual assault never get reported.

Women know what theyre up against at the police precinct. Weve read the reports about the rape kits sitting untested in warehouses. Weve all watched as its taken many, many women or girls to simply make the case against one single abuser (see: Nassar, Cosby, Weinstein).

To get to any kind of justice, its almost always he said, they said.

We dont like admitting how deeply misogynistic our culture is, said Soraya Chemaly, director of the Womens Media Center speech project. Its very clear. You and I can say everybody gets away with [rape and sexual assault abuse] and it sounds like were exaggerating. But in fact, its just a description of the fact.