http://www.dashtaki.com/lawyer-attorney-discrimination/sexual-harassment/
Imagine being denied medication for a severe illness or being told to “find the electric fences first.” While these seem like overly harsh reactions to being rejected this is exactly what happened to archaeologist Maureen Meyers when she was sexually harassed by her superiors. This may seem like an isolate, one-of-a-kind type situation but this happens to many people in research positions all over the county. Sexual harassment is a large issue in the United States. Sexual harassment can defined as harassment, typically of a woman, in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks (Sexual Harassment). Sexual harassment can include but are not limited to acts such as leering, obscene phone-calls, stalking, indecent exposure, or pressure for dates (Sexual Harassment). This is different from sexual assault. Sexual assault is defined as any forcible sexual contact (Sexual Assault). is defined as A study Cosmopolitan Magazine published in February of 2015 surveyed 2,235 women and found that 1 out of every 3 women had been sexual harassed at work. This number is not including the 16% of women surveyed who said they had not been sexually harassed but did report workplace interactions that meets the definition of sexual harassment. When the same study was broken down by the career of the surveyees 31% of women who worked in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields reported being sexually harassed (Survey). Sexual harassment can happen anywhere, but there has recently been a large amount of research put into sexual harassment specifically in science and research fields. Another online survey of field scientists recently reported that uncovered a range of negative experiences; nearly two-thirds of the 666 respondents, who were mostly women, reported being sexually harassed at a field site, and one-fifth said that they had been sexually assaulted (Gewin). Reports also show that until recently this has not been a known issue due to universities ignoring and hiding these issues and women not coming forward in fear of losing their jobs (Harassment Victims). However, more victims are coming out with their stories bringing this issue into public view. A stronger system for reporting and investigating sexual harassment needs to be instilled in university systems. There needs to be an easier reporting system, stronger follow through in investigation of reports, and actual consequences for people found to be sexually harassing others.
For there to be positive change in this process, there first needs to be a less intimidating reporting process for sexual harassment. While sexual harassment is not limited to North Carolina State University and is present in every university system, for ease and clarity this paper will focus on the reporting procedures at NCSU. The webpage that had the form to report harassment was a little difficult to find. This could be made more prominent on the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity’s (the campus department that handles these reports) website. While looking at NCSU’s reporting procedures, I found that there are generally extensive interviews involved with reporting sexual harassment. This can be highly traumatic for someone who has been repeatedly harassed. This could be eased by having a counselor from the counseling center on hand for the interviews.
After the victim or witness reports the harassment, there needs to be a serious attempt to find out all aspects of the incident(s). In the media, there are often stories of someone reporting sexual harassment to superiors who then hide all allegations. This can make the victims feel even more inferior and give the harasser the feeling of having more power in the situation. NCSU has a fairly good process for investigating sexual harassment and is a good template for other universities. First, a complaint is filed, then the complaint is processed and referred elsewhere (i.e. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) if applicable, then there is a preliminary review to see if the investigation even needs to occur, an investigation, a verdict, then notification to all applicable parties of the verdict. While this is a good system some victims problems go unreported and unresolved.
Finally, if the reported party is found to have sexually harassed the victim there needs to be legitimate consequences for that party. These could include having to take an informational class on sexual harassment, pay docks, revocation of honors, or being reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is the federal office in charge of criminal charges for federally-funded institutions (Title IX designation). There have been many reports of people getting promotions, honors, and other designations after multiple sexual harassment reports being filed against them. This, just like with investigating the reports, if not handled correctly can make the victim feel insignificant and undermined while giving the harasser a sense of invincibility and the feeling that this is an okay thing to do.
The sexual harassment reporting system is a large issue full of problems. The way harassment is reported, the investigative process, and the consequences are all problematic. Major changes in the way people report, the way it is investigated, and the consequences of guilty parties need to be implemented to make this an easier solution for a terrible issue. Counselors should be present in initial interviews, investigations should be more thorough, and there should be real consequences if parties are found guilty. This is a problem that needs every involved party to work on improving because it can happen to anyone and it is certainly not just going to go away on its own.
“I am not your dog that you whistle for; I’m not a stray animal you call over, and I am not, I never have been, nor will I ever be, your “baby
―Joy Jennings
http://www.tamuc.edu/research/
Works Cited
Feminist Majority Foundation. "Sexual Harassment - Fact Sheet." Feminist Majority Foundation
Feminist Majority Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Gewin, Virginia. "Social Behaviour: Indecent Advances." Nature 519 (n.d.): 251-53. Nature. 11
Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Harassment Victims Deserve Better." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group.
19 Feb. 2016.
"Survey: 1 in 3 Women Has Been Sexually Harassed at Work."Cosmopolitan. N.p., 16 Feb.
2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Imagine being denied medication for a severe illness or being told to “find the electric fences first.” While these seem like overly harsh reactions to being rejected this is exactly what happened to archaeologist Maureen Meyers when she was sexually harassed by her superiors. This may seem like an isolate, one-of-a-kind type situation but this happens to many people in research positions all over the county. Sexual harassment is a large issue in the United States. Sexual harassment can defined as harassment, typically of a woman, in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks (Sexual Harassment). Sexual harassment can include but are not limited to acts such as leering, obscene phone-calls, stalking, indecent exposure, or pressure for dates (Sexual Harassment). This is different from sexual assault. Sexual assault is defined as any forcible sexual contact (Sexual Assault). is defined as A study Cosmopolitan Magazine published in February of 2015 surveyed 2,235 women and found that 1 out of every 3 women had been sexual harassed at work. This number is not including the 16% of women surveyed who said they had not been sexually harassed but did report workplace interactions that meets the definition of sexual harassment. When the same study was broken down by the career of the surveyees 31% of women who worked in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields reported being sexually harassed (Survey). Sexual harassment can happen anywhere, but there has recently been a large amount of research put into sexual harassment specifically in science and research fields. Another online survey of field scientists recently reported that uncovered a range of negative experiences; nearly two-thirds of the 666 respondents, who were mostly women, reported being sexually harassed at a field site, and one-fifth said that they had been sexually assaulted (Gewin). Reports also show that until recently this has not been a known issue due to universities ignoring and hiding these issues and women not coming forward in fear of losing their jobs (Harassment Victims). However, more victims are coming out with their stories bringing this issue into public view. A stronger system for reporting and investigating sexual harassment needs to be instilled in university systems. There needs to be an easier reporting system, stronger follow through in investigation of reports, and actual consequences for people found to be sexually harassing others.
For there to be positive change in this process, there first needs to be a less intimidating reporting process for sexual harassment. While sexual harassment is not limited to North Carolina State University and is present in every university system, for ease and clarity this paper will focus on the reporting procedures at NCSU. The webpage that had the form to report harassment was a little difficult to find. This could be made more prominent on the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity’s (the campus department that handles these reports) website. While looking at NCSU’s reporting procedures, I found that there are generally extensive interviews involved with reporting sexual harassment. This can be highly traumatic for someone who has been repeatedly harassed. This could be eased by having a counselor from the counseling center on hand for the interviews.
After the victim or witness reports the harassment, there needs to be a serious attempt to find out all aspects of the incident(s). In the media, there are often stories of someone reporting sexual harassment to superiors who then hide all allegations. This can make the victims feel even more inferior and give the harasser the feeling of having more power in the situation. NCSU has a fairly good process for investigating sexual harassment and is a good template for other universities. First, a complaint is filed, then the complaint is processed and referred elsewhere (i.e. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) if applicable, then there is a preliminary review to see if the investigation even needs to occur, an investigation, a verdict, then notification to all applicable parties of the verdict. While this is a good system some victims problems go unreported and unresolved.
Finally, if the reported party is found to have sexually harassed the victim there needs to be legitimate consequences for that party. These could include having to take an informational class on sexual harassment, pay docks, revocation of honors, or being reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is the federal office in charge of criminal charges for federally-funded institutions (Title IX designation). There have been many reports of people getting promotions, honors, and other designations after multiple sexual harassment reports being filed against them. This, just like with investigating the reports, if not handled correctly can make the victim feel insignificant and undermined while giving the harasser a sense of invincibility and the feeling that this is an okay thing to do.
The sexual harassment reporting system is a large issue full of problems. The way harassment is reported, the investigative process, and the consequences are all problematic. Major changes in the way people report, the way it is investigated, and the consequences of guilty parties need to be implemented to make this an easier solution for a terrible issue. Counselors should be present in initial interviews, investigations should be more thorough, and there should be real consequences if parties are found guilty. This is a problem that needs every involved party to work on improving because it can happen to anyone and it is certainly not just going to go away on its own.
“I am not your dog that you whistle for; I’m not a stray animal you call over, and I am not, I never have been, nor will I ever be, your “baby
―Joy Jennings
http://www.tamuc.edu/research/
Works Cited
Feminist Majority Foundation. "Sexual Harassment - Fact Sheet." Feminist Majority Foundation
Feminist Majority Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Gewin, Virginia. "Social Behaviour: Indecent Advances." Nature 519 (n.d.): 251-53. Nature. 11
Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Harassment Victims Deserve Better." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group.
19 Feb. 2016.
"Survey: 1 in 3 Women Has Been Sexually Harassed at Work."Cosmopolitan. N.p., 16 Feb.
2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
"Sexual Assault." Department of Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
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