Sexual Harassment
Study: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/news/magazine.htm
I found this study interesting, but not particularly surprising.
I do find it interesting, that, like rape, we work very hard to make sexual harassment look like something other than it is. In the case of rape, we work to make it look like a violent attack by a stranger in the night, when more often, it is a woman being violated by someone she trusts- a friend, a date, a family member. We try to make ourselves more comfortable with the interplay between men and women by placing sexual violence in the realm of "other" or "stranger", and as a result we don't really teach people what rape IS. We somehow classify "date rape" as a lesser crime than "rape".
I loved that Berdahl firmly does not blame the victim in this study. Instead:
Asked what advice she would give a talented female student with leadership aspirations, Berdahl said the onus shouldn't be on women to avoid discrimination; it should be on those in charge to prevent it.
And in the meantime?
"Women are already navigating these social conflicts to the best of their ability," she said. "But ultimately, it's not their responsibility, nor is it in their control."*
Not very comforting. It's hard to admit that you can't change to make things easier for you, and most women know that they walk a tightrope in the workplace- too sexy or feminine and you aren't respected, not "female" enough and you're sabotaged and harassed. And still not respected. It's depressing.
And no one likes to be told that there is something about their career trajectory that they can't control. In this day and age when everyone is supposed to be shooting to be the next CEO like previous generations attempted to be PotUS, we're supposed to all have an equal chance at success.
But, that simply isn't the case. Classism prevents mobility- if you don't have the clothes, the car, the image, the diction you're not going to move beyond the lower rungs. Gender, gender roles, connections, education, background- these things all play a part in deciding how high our ceilings are. I suspect that the illusion of upward mobility is one of the carrots that keeps Americans pushing up our productivity levels year after year. Young workers put in long hours, give up their lives, and become immersed in a corporate culture in order to succeed, but the fact is, most of us won't. The average lawyer practices law for only three years after leaving law school- accountants are the same way- three years until they leave public accounting, at least, if not the whole profession.
Gender roles, class, and workplace behavior are topics that have somewhat fallen off the radar. Actually discussions of class in America are pretty much NEVER on the radar. I don't have any solutions to offer. Think about your individual behavior in the workplace- do you punish women who do not meet your gender expectations? Do you shun them? Like rape, sexual harassment is a grossly misunderstood issue. It is a joke and a perceived romantic farce, I hope Berdahl's study gets the press it deserves and creates an opportunity for real dialogue about harassment in workplace gender roles.
* Carol Goar, Toronto Star, 24 January 2007
I found this study interesting, but not particularly surprising.
I do find it interesting, that, like rape, we work very hard to make sexual harassment look like something other than it is. In the case of rape, we work to make it look like a violent attack by a stranger in the night, when more often, it is a woman being violated by someone she trusts- a friend, a date, a family member. We try to make ourselves more comfortable with the interplay between men and women by placing sexual violence in the realm of "other" or "stranger", and as a result we don't really teach people what rape IS. We somehow classify "date rape" as a lesser crime than "rape".
I loved that Berdahl firmly does not blame the victim in this study. Instead:
Asked what advice she would give a talented female student with leadership aspirations, Berdahl said the onus shouldn't be on women to avoid discrimination; it should be on those in charge to prevent it.
And in the meantime?
"Women are already navigating these social conflicts to the best of their ability," she said. "But ultimately, it's not their responsibility, nor is it in their control."*
Not very comforting. It's hard to admit that you can't change to make things easier for you, and most women know that they walk a tightrope in the workplace- too sexy or feminine and you aren't respected, not "female" enough and you're sabotaged and harassed. And still not respected. It's depressing.
And no one likes to be told that there is something about their career trajectory that they can't control. In this day and age when everyone is supposed to be shooting to be the next CEO like previous generations attempted to be PotUS, we're supposed to all have an equal chance at success.
But, that simply isn't the case. Classism prevents mobility- if you don't have the clothes, the car, the image, the diction you're not going to move beyond the lower rungs. Gender, gender roles, connections, education, background- these things all play a part in deciding how high our ceilings are. I suspect that the illusion of upward mobility is one of the carrots that keeps Americans pushing up our productivity levels year after year. Young workers put in long hours, give up their lives, and become immersed in a corporate culture in order to succeed, but the fact is, most of us won't. The average lawyer practices law for only three years after leaving law school- accountants are the same way- three years until they leave public accounting, at least, if not the whole profession.
Gender roles, class, and workplace behavior are topics that have somewhat fallen off the radar. Actually discussions of class in America are pretty much NEVER on the radar. I don't have any solutions to offer. Think about your individual behavior in the workplace- do you punish women who do not meet your gender expectations? Do you shun them? Like rape, sexual harassment is a grossly misunderstood issue. It is a joke and a perceived romantic farce, I hope Berdahl's study gets the press it deserves and creates an opportunity for real dialogue about harassment in workplace gender roles.
* Carol Goar, Toronto Star, 24 January 2007
posted by Terri | 9:55 AM
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