Too Pretty A Picture

An opinion in today's wash post made me think.

I've experienced sexual harrassment at a low level: guys standing too close, staring at my chest, etc. at work. Guys making sexual comments about me that I really did not appreciate, particularly since the guys had at least a nominal position of authority over me. I was never in a position where I did not have a remedy. I moved out of jobs where I worked with the assholes. Although I did take a paycut.

Tying in with the other articles recently about women and jobs and education, I wonder if we're going to go back to this being the prevailing attitude: "Women can't do X because no women do. Therefore, men have every right to terrorize women into leaving job that performs X". Women with educations leave the workforce, therefore women who are less well-prepared are the only ones in the workforce. These women are less well-prepared so are less likely to be qualified for positions or to execute those upper positions as well [just as a factor of preparation, not innate ability].

This is a multi-fold problem. The men who heap abuse on women. The women who "accept" the abuse by not fighting back. The women who opt out of careers after they've started them for families. The men who don't opt out of careers after they've started them for families. [Yes, this should be a choice, but its very difficult to make the choice when the choice is not available to be one, so we need more people to make the non-stereotypical choice until its clearly available for everyone].

Maybe it would take a completely over-the-top version of this to bring home to most of current U.S. what really happens sometimes. Sexual harrassment is usually brushed over, its a "Clarence Thomas" type of harrassment, a couple comments, an offensive magazine / calendar. Its not a groping, pervasive, life-threatening hell.

I wish I knew.