Do you remember when it was legal for a man to make sexually explicit or sexist remarks to a woman at work? I don't. While sexual harassment in the workplace still happens, it became illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 19 years before I was born.
Do you remember when it was legal for a man to make sexually explicit or sexist remarks to a woman on the street or at a bus stop? I do. Sexual harassment in public is legal. But it shouldn't be.
Sexual harassment in public, often called street harassment, is a real problem that requires legal regulation. It ranges from legal acts like leering, whistling, honking, sexual comments, sexist comments, and following, to illegal acts like groping, public masturbation, and assault. While some might argue that street harassment isn't a common occurrence, in actuality, most American women have experienced it in some form. In an Indiana University , Indianapolis , study conducted in the early 1990s, 100 percent of the 293 women interviewed could cite multiple incidents of street harassment. Similarly, 100 percent of the 54 women interviewed in the California Bay Area in the early 2000s for a Northwestern University study had been the target of offensive or sexually suggestive remarks on multiple occasions. In 2007, the Manhattan Borough President's Office surveyed 1,790 transit riders in New York City and found that 63 percent had been sexually harassed on the subway.
Adding to the limited research on the topic are hundreds of street harassment stories women share on blogs like HollaBack NYC and Stop Street Harassment. And I bet if you ask, most women you know will be able to cite at least a few times they have been harassed.
The threat or experience of street harassment, often combined with a socialization to be fearful of male-perpetrated sexual assault in public, means women tend to be more wary of public places than men. The resulting impact on their lives is stunning, as I found when I informally surveyed more than 800 women from 23 countries in 2008 for a forthcoming book. Sixty percent of women said they "always" constantly assess their surroundings. Eighty percent said that at least some times they avoid being in public alone. Eighteen percent said actual or feared interactions with strangers impacted their decision to move from their neighborhood. The more often a woman reported being harassed -- or if a man had assaulted her -- the more likely it was that she practiced several strategies that restricted her freedom.
Women will never achieve equality with men until they have equal access to public places and the resources and opportunities they hold. And it seems women never will have equal access to public places until men stop harassing and assaulting them there.
What can we do?
I suggest we look to Egypt for guidance. In January, groundbreaking legislation banning sexual harassment at work, in public, online, and through mobile devices was introduced in the Egyptian Parliament. Last month the legislation moved to Parliament's legislative affairs committee. The pending legislation is indicative of an important cultural shift occurring in Egypt that I'd like to see happen in the United States .
The shift started in earnest in 2008, when the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR) surveyed over 2,000 women and men throughout Egypt about public sexual harassment. Their findings were not dissimilar from studies conducted in the United States . More than 83 percent of women said men had harassed them in public and more than 60 percent of men readily admitted to harassing women.
The report and related efforts of the ECWR has propelled change across Egypt since 2008. Women's enrollment in self-defense classes shot up. Women began using an audio blogging station, Banat wa Bas, to share their harassment stories and vent their frustrations. Kelmetna, a magazine for youth, launched a campaign called "Respect yourself: Egypt still has real men" with weekly seminars, self defense classes, and street concerts. There are more than 53,000 members of their Facebook group.
And now, under pressure from activists, it is likely the Egyptian government will pass legislation making sexual harassment in public illegal.
The United States needs a similar cultural shift regarding street harassment. Street harassment is not a joke about construction workers; it is a problem that touches every woman's life at some level and prevents women on a whole from achieving equality. More research needs to be conducted to better track its prevalence and to uncover the root causes, and in the meantime, let's make it illegal. While laws do not solve problems, they can help change social attitudes, deter the undesired behavior, and provide affected persons with options for recourse.
You and I remember when sexual harassment in public was legal, but I hope the next generation will not.
I have nothing but contempt for 'men' who think that they can behave as though the entire country is an open brothel. It is extremely offensive and can be very threatening for lone females. It is also repulsive and highlights your zero charm and non existent social skills. I don't think such men have any notion of how they are perceived. They need the law to tell them their creepy because they are.
So often the aggression is what makes people uncomfortable. By the way my neice and her friends had on sweatpants and hoodies from their universities, so let's not go there.
Clearly that kind of behavior is stupid and ugly and wrong. Do you really want to get the law involved though?
Note to self - never acknowledge a woman in public. Don't even help her if she is in dire circumstances because I would risk commoditizing her through sexual objectification. But I'm still confused... are women strong and independent or are they victims of objectification? I keep getting some seriously mixed messages here.
The 90% of women leered at have probably been given a long look and a wink at by plenty of men that they felt perfectly fine with, either because of their mood, or any number of factors about the man himself. I'm even sort of skeptical of that sort of thing in the workplace but at least their your purpose is to work not flirt.
Zammo probably has the right idea, despite the satire. I recall a recent release of a man from jail, falsely accused of rape by a woman who he SAVED from actually being raped by some thugs. Contrast this with another recent story about a Woman who was raped in a NY subway while Ticket Booth attendees called the cops but did nothing else to help (and how incredibly hurt she was by their refusal to save her).
All these proposed laws would really do is drive more of a wedge into the interactions between the sexes and further us on a road to a police state. Stopping sexual assault I'm all for. Arrested for admiring from a distance? Jesus.
Nope American women have to deal with someone actually noticing their buttocks high micro mini skirt and cleavage out like trophies.
But American women deserve better. Why can't only the Hugh Jackmans of the world pay attention to them.
What is not laughable to me is the way feminists erode women’s self-confidence, creating fear and terror where no cause exists. What you are doing is far more harmful to women than anything a man might say or do. You and your ilk are telling women that they are too weak, too powerless, too stupid, and too emotional to care of themselves; therefore the feminist machine and the matriarchy must take care of them.
Your goal is to repress women, send women back to the Victorian age when they went from a father’s care to a husband’s care with no independence of thought or action while you replace fathers and husbands with the matriarchy.
Well, here’s some news for you: I’m intelligent and powerful enough to take care of myself without your so-called help. Don’t you dare tell me that I need some damn feminist legislation to be able to deal with a wisecrack on the street. I AM NOT A VICTIM! I am a victor in control of my life and my destiny. The only help I need from the feminists and the sexism industry is to stay the hell out of my way.
A law is far from my only suggestion and it is not The suggestion. But I think that women who are harassed a lot or severely should have legal recourse if they need it. We all have that right in the workplace.
I do not want to go back to the Victorian era. I want men to stop harassing women so we can be in public safely and freely. I want us to have equality to public spaces. We need men to stop harassing women. But they aren't and one reason why they may argue they don't have to is that they aren't doing anything illegal...
Sorry but those days are over with. You're strong willed, empowered and certainly don't need men to protect you. Stop with the appeals for chivalry. You chucked us men to the curb, stab our service men in the back for freeing women in Afghanistan and then you expect us to treat you like Chinese royalty?
BTW watch how women treat men. Women intentionally are cold, short, mean, nagging and indifferent to "keep the nerds away" so you're as bad or worse. American women have only two things to say to men: you either ignore us or verbally beat us like we're dumb pack animals.
Example- Year ago I worked in a retail sales job. We wouldn't get many, but when an attractive women would come into the store, there was a coded word used to let the other guys know to take a look. Making varying degrees of effort to be inconspicuous, they would check out this woman.
What are your thoughts on this?
Some people just can't be happy unless they are sucking all the joy and fun out of the world.
You are going to lump "leering" in with assaulting women on the street.
"Leering" at beautiful women is one of life's gifts.
I can get behind the rest of it, but...
Leering is not a gift, it's offensive. I have a right to walk down the street and be left the heck alone. You do not have a right to turn my body into a porn magazine.
She dresses like a hooker. Short skirts, shiny boots up to her knees, very low cut tops everyday.
Then, according to the guys who work with her, she cops an attitude if someone looks at her.
Don't flaunt it if you don't want people to look, hypocrites.
Smile. Use the manners your mother should have taught you. Treat people like you would like to be treated.
These louts who feel they have the obligation to leer, whistle and make demeaning comments show themselves for who they are -- they're not worth a woman's time, energy or effort.
And any man who can't figure out the difference between a polite nod, smile and "how are you?" greeting versus drooling and screaming about great racks and/or caboose is beyond any hope of recovery. If your purpose is to embarrass her or humiliate her in public, you're probably not date-worthy. Carry on, ladies, he'll never figure it out.
Maybe it's my breath.
I'll look into it. My post and problem is below.
Max
You know what I do? Nothing. Ever. I NEVER make eye contact with women here. I never talk to women I don't know here. I never date women here. I'm terrified of women here. I'm a perfectly acceptable man here in NYC going to waste because 9 out of 10 women I might like to approach to speak with are so armored, I'm fearful of their defenses and resigned to the thought I'll never get through them.
Max
maxwell.dembo@gmail.com
(Available.)
Poor guy.
Yay Social Conditioning.
Sexual harassment i.e. unwelcome sexual advances and other verbal or physical conduct e.g., inappropriate pictures, posters, and dress manner, can be tried even if the plaintiff cannot prove psychological injury and a firm can be held liable for damages resulting from a hostile work environment.
Training is vital e.g., packaged workshops, assertiveness training, and gender-awareness training. Sexual harassment results in substandard performance and adversely affects the bottom line, at work and elsewhere, and is therefore a social and community problem!
By revealing their experiences of sexual harassment, women must effect changes on a corporate and on a social/community level. Absenteeism, high turnover, difficult recruitment, negative publicity, and low productivity are by-products of harassment (and bullying) in the workplace.
I have a policy of distributing free abridged versions of my books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, motivation, women, bullying and sexual harassment, trade unions, etc., to anyone who sends a request to crespin79@hotmail.com.
Maxwell Pinto, Business Author
http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p34hB50lv-8
Are you still waiting around for them to approve of your manhood? How many men does that man merit badge cost?
It is hard to understand what it is like to know that as you walk towards a group of guys, you are undoubtedly going to get comments. It is terrifying when you are alone and they might follow you. I shouldn't have to fear such thing in public places. Sexual harassment is sexual harassment no matter where it happens and men shouldn't be able to get off just because they are in a public place.
And yes andygaus, saying to a woman (or in such a way that she can hear) "she is such a babe" should constitute sexual harassment and be illegal. It's disgusting. You don't have some sort of inherent right to comment about the attractiveness of a woman. It is incredibly demeaning for many women. Go and ask your mother how she would feel about some guy saying that to her.
Deepfreezevideo, there was an article in the Huff a few days ago about a woman who was beat to a pulp in the ladies room because she dared say 'no' to a man who was hitting on her. The law did an awesome job of protecting her.
I am in favor of having laws passed which will enable a woman to prosecute someone for making them fearful, or making them feel threatened or victimized in a public place because the first thing that naturally comes to my mind is, "how would I feel if my mother/wife/sister/daughter were subjected to such treatment?."
But such a law must be approached with the utmost care, lest it destroy the very social fabric of our society. Males and females must be allowed to approach one another, to look at one another, in a civil and courteous way, even if such a social function is romantic or even sexual in nature.
The law must protect a woman's ability to say "stop" or "no", or "I do not feel safe".