by Laura Bates
Originally published 10 November 2015
HARASSED BY YOUR BOSS AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY? YOU’RE NOT ALONE
Cornered by lecherous co-workers with wandering hands. Told loudly by a senior colleague that you’re too ‘hot’ to be part of the technical team. Proclaimed winner of the ‘best arse’ award. Asked ‘Shall we just shag?’ four times, despite the advances clearly being unwelcome. Offered a colleague a lift home only to be sexually assaulted in the back of a taxi. Alongside the obvious connections, these experiences have one thing in common that might surprise you. They all happened to women attending work Christmas parties.
Around this time of year, the Everyday Sexism Project sees an upsetting spike in stories from working women who have experienced sexism, harassment and even assault at annual company festivities. The stories are varied and complex. In some cases, women are excluded from the party altogether, missing out on networking opportunities and sidelined from the team:
‘I’m a female working in the construction industry. Currently, I and one other female work here, and neither of us are invited to the Christmas party. I’ve worked here for four years and I’ve never been invited (in my first year I was invited and then uninvited because it might be “awkward”). We’ve kicked up a bit a fuss this year, but my boss will not let us come because “it has been this way for years”.’
Many examples (such as being sexually propositioned by married colleagues) assume an atmosphere of conspiratorial ‘naughtiness’ at such events. Some reports amount to sexual assault:
‘My boss’s boss, a married man, made several attempts to molest me at a Christmas party, including grabbing my breasts, pulling me towards him, slapping my bottom and trying to force unwanted kisses on me. Exasperated, I eventually told him to “fuck off”, then spent an anxious weekend worrying that I would lose my job. Fortunately, I didn’t, but he continued pestering me. Everyone thought it was funny and that I should be flattered.’
Others demonstrate how a culture of complicity and normalization can prevent perpetrators from facing any ramifications: ‘One of the men in my office chased one of the women into a room at the Christmas party and wouldn’t let her leave until she kissed him. Everyone knows he did it. He’s still considered a “nice guy”.’
While some argue that this is ‘no big deal’, the long-term impact is often much greater than one might realize: ‘While working for a law firm and attending the Christmas party, one of the male partners told me that my dress was pretty, but would look better crumpled on his bedroom floor. He kept asking to walk me home, even though he was married and I was living with my boyfriend at the time. I felt quite frightened of him and left the party swiftly when he wasn’t looking so I could get home without the fear of being pursued. I complained to my boss who, of course, had a word with him, but he continued to make my working life intolerable, so I left.’
For many women who experience a surge of workplace harassment in environments such as restaurants and bars (‘I’m dressed as Santa, sit on my lap’; ‘Have you been naughty or nice?’; ‘Give us a Christmas kiss’), there isn’t necessarily an HR department to notify, nor a means of complaining without jeopardizing what might already be an uncontracted and low-paid position. For those dependent on tips, with the directive to keep customers happy, handling harassment becomes even more difficult.
The only way to solve this problem for all workers, not just those who are in a strong enough position to protest, is to demand that workplaces tackle the issue at the source. This is not as difficult as some make out. If we expect employers to protect employees from sexual harassment in the workplace, they should maintain the same basic standards at festive events – indeed, according to the law, they must.
Many elements of the problem (inviting only male employees; holding the party in a strip club; giving out inappropriate rewards) are within the organizers’ control. Others, such as inappropriate behaviour, should be tackled with clear zero-tolerance policies and transparent, protected reporting procedures.
It’s a red herring to suggest, as many people do, that cracking down on sexual harassment will create an awkward atmosphere or take the fun out of the office Christmas party. Being the target of sexist jokes or groping on the dancefloor is what prevents many employees from having fun in the first place.
Originally published 22 December 2015
WHY DO SO FEW SERVICEWOMEN REPORT EXPERIENCES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
In 2011, it was estimated that a female soldier serving in Iraq was more likely to be attacked by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The problems of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military are not new, but in recent years there has been an increase in attention to these issues, resulting in greater efforts being made to tackle them, particularly in the US military.
Now, a new army-commissioned survey has revealed that levels of sexual harassment in the British army are worryingly high. The survey of 7,000 soldiers found that almost 40 per cent of servicewomen said they had received unwanted comments of a sexual nature in the past year alone. Of the women surveyed, 39 per cent said they had received unwelcome comments about their appearance, body or sexual activities. And 33 per cent said that someone had made unwelcome attempts to talk to them about sexual matters. In some cases, the harassment escalated to physical assault, with 12 per cent of women surveyed saying that someone had made unwelcome attempts to touch them. Around one-fifth of men also reported unwanted comments about their appearance, body or sexual activities.
Army chief General Sir Nick Carter described the levels of sexual harassment as ‘totally unacceptable’, saying he was ‘disappointed by the figures’.
Since the Everyday Sexism Project was launched in 2012 to catalogue experiences of gender inequality, many women have posted about their experiences in the military: from subtle sexism, to more aggressive harassment, to assault.
One servicewoman wrote: ‘The army is working hard to stamp out sexism but some seniors still set a bad example. Every time my company parades, the Sergeant Major addresses the parade as “Gentlemen” despite there being half a dozen women in the company. Also, when there are social events we are told we may invite wives or girlfriends; husbands and boyfriends are never mentioned.’
Another said: ‘When I was in the army, the other guys referred to the only female soldier in our company as a “field mattress” who had only joined the army because she was “too ugly to get any cock” in any arena where the guys had other options. Incidentally, she finished first in the company’s 30 km march.’
One woman’s entry read: ‘I was touched without permission while on guard at night in Iraq, with a loaded weapon. In my report I wrote that I had considered using my rifle should the male have gone any further and [I] was reprimanded for this.’
Entries suggest that the problem is by no means confined to the army, nor just to the UK, with servicewomen from other branches of the military and from around the world also sharing their stories.
One woman wrote: ‘I’m a US marine, so you can imagine the barrage of sexism I deal with. Men think it’s okay to slap you on your ass when you’re in charge of them.’
Entries range from low-level sexism to more severe offences. One reads: ‘I joined the navy at sixteen. During basic training I was forced to have sex with a physical training instructor; he told me I wouldn’t pass my course unless I did. He used the same bribe to make me perform a sex act on him . . . The entire episode was swept under the carpet. After leaving basic training to commence trade training as an engineer, I was the youngest and only female in my class. The men laid bets on who could sleep with me first. It took me a while to figure out why they were being so nice.’
Many women also described how sexism can interfere with their ability to carry out their jobs: ‘I was in training, leading a combined infantry and armoured company rolling attack over three objectives. The armoured commander wouldn’t take orders from me on the radio because I am a girl.’
The good news is that the issue is finally starting to receive the attention – and action – it deserves. General Carter told the BBC that while he was disappointed with the survey results, ‘they do provide me with a baseline from which I can move forward and change the army’s culture’.
He follows in the footsteps of Lieutenant General David Morrison, former chief of the Australian army, whose rousing speech and tough rhetoric about unacceptable behaviour in the Australian army went viral in 2013. Such top-down leadership will be vital to challenge an ingrained culture of sexual harassment, particularly in a traditionally male-dominated institution like the army.
Finally, the project entries also make it clear that in order to fully support our servicewomen, we need to see a shift in attitudes outside the military too:
‘Response after telling people we’re a military family: they turn to my husband and thank him for his service.’
Originally published 14 July 2015
THE HOTLY CONTESTED OLYMPIC MEDAL TABLE OF SEXISM
If sexism were an Olympic sport, the competition would be very tough indeed. Over the past two weeks, hopefuls from across the media have battled it out against some of the greatest in the world. Many have been in training for years. For others, it was their first foray into the competition. Not everybody can go home with a medal, but as the games draw to a close, here’s a round-up of the most decorated contenders . . .
Most tired gender stereotype
Bronze medal
Al Trautwig, who speculated that Dutch gymnast Sanne Wevers might be writing a ‘dear diary’ entry when she was seen jotting something down after completing her routine – she was in fact working out her scores.
Silver medal
The BBC commentator who described a women’s Olympic judo match as a ‘catfight’.
Gold medal
Jim Watson, who observed the USA women’s gymnastics team conferring on the sidelines and mused: ‘They might as well be standing around at the mall.’
Most irrelevant commentary on women’s appearance
Bronze medal
The Daily Mail’s ‘best dressed’ list, comparing the outfits of female sports reporters.
Silver medal
Jointly awarded to every outraged and gleeful article about BBC commentator Helen Skelton’s legs.
Gold medal
The detailed commentary setting female gymnasts up against one another and reducing them entirely to their leotards, including references to how ‘dainty’ or ‘ultra-feminine’ they were and even comparing them to Disney fairies. Criticisms included the accusation that one gymnast ‘turned heads for all the wrong reasons’ and even that one leotard didn’t ‘complement’ the gymnast’s skin tone.
Most insulting attribution of a female athlete’s medal to her husband
Silver medal
The Chicago Tribune, for its Twitter headline: ‘Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics’.
Gold medal
Commentator Dan Hicks, who was reporting on the women’s 400 m individual medley in swimming when Hungary’s Katinka Hosszú took the gold medal and beat the existing world record by over two seconds. As the camera panned over to her husband and coach in the stands, Hicks told viewers: ‘And there’s the man responsible.’
Most blatant prioritizing of men’s achievements over women’s
Silver medal
The headline that relegated Katie Ledecky’s record-breaking gold medal win to a small-print subtitle beneath news of Michael Phelps tying for silver in the 100 m fly.
Gold medal
The dehumanizing headline that failed even to name swimmer Simone Manuel after she won a gold medal in the 100 m freestyle. Instead the tweeted headline ran: ‘Olympics: Michael Phelps shares historic night with African-American’.
Most enormous double standard
Silver medal
The reaction of outrage and abuse when US gymnast Gabby Douglas failed to put her hand over her heart during the national anthem, while Michael Phelps got off far more lightly for laughing on the podium during the anthem.
Gold medal
The TV-viewing public who were scandalized when they thought they caught the briefest glimpse of Helen Skelton’s underwear as she reported from the hot and humid aquatics centre . . . but later complained that Gary Lineker didn’t flash enough flesh when he presented Match of the Day in his underwear.
Most egregious all-round sexism
Bronze medal
Jointly awarded to all the commentators who contributed to the sexist bias in the language used about female Olympians. According to researchers at Cambridge University Press, while language like ‘fastest’, ‘strongest’, ‘biggest’ was commonly used to describe male athletes, female athletes attracted words like ‘married’ and ‘unmarried’, as well as references to their age.
Silver medal
NBC executive John Miller, who responded to complaints about frequent ad breaks and interruptions in the Olympic coverage by saying: ‘The people who watch the Olympics are not particularly sports fans. More women watch the games than men, and for the women, they’re less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. It’s sort of like the ultimate reality show and miniseries wrapped into one.’
Gold medal
The Fox News segment that saw two male commentators discuss female Olympians’ appearance. One said: ‘Why should I have to look at some chick’s zits?’
And, because we all need something to cheer for . . .
Best comeback to sexism
Gold medal
Simone Biles, who had the perfect comeback after commentators kept comparing her with great male athletes. After her outstanding performance, which saw her win five medals, Biles said: ‘I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles.’
Though these lucky winners go home with medals, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. Here’s hoping we don’t see any of these categories being contested in Tokyo in 2020.
Originally published 22 August 2016
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE IS ENDEMIC
‘Was asked to join in threesome with boss and his deputy’ . . . ‘Told to sit on my boss’s lap if I wanted my Christmas bonus’ . . . ‘Heard partners assessing female candidates according to their attractiveness’ . . . ‘Told to get an abortion or resign as two pregnant workers was unfair’ . . .
Workplace harassment is one of the most common issues reported to the Everyday Sexism Project – in fact, we have collected nearly 10,000 entries on this topic alone.
So it is no surprise today that a new study by law firm Slater & Gordon has revealed that one in six women have had colleagues look down their blouse, almost half have experienced comments about their breasts in the workplace and one in eight have left jobs because workplace harassment made them feel so uncomfortable. The study suggests that sexual harassment in the workplace is rife among both men and women, with almost 40 per cent of men also reporting experiences. But 60 per cent of those surveyed say they have kept a possible harassment incident to themselves, making this an invisible yet enormously common problem
. Indeed, the experiences quoted throughout this article have all been reported to the Everyday Sexism Project in the past eighteen months alone.
Workplace sexual harassment is one of the most difficult and insidious issues to tackle because victims are so often in a position of vulnerability, afraid of damaging their careers or even losing their jobs altogether if they dare to rock the boat:
‘When I was twenty-three my arse was regularly pinched at work. I was too afraid of losing my job to report it.’
‘I work in a bar and face constant, ongoing, never-ending abuse from men ordering drinks . . . I know if I complained I’d have to leave my job.’
Perpetrators are often much older and more experienced than their victims, and in many cases are even in a position of responsibility over them, making it near-impossible for those being harassed to complain:
‘Had a manager that said he would “totally rape me”.’
‘A guy at my work told me he’d get me fired if I didn’t have sex with him. His brother was the boss.’
What’s worse is that even when victims do find the courage to come forward, they frequently report being dismissed, as the problem is belittled and normalized:
‘A male boss said he’d “love to bend me over” and more, I reported it to female supervisor who said I was being “sensitive”.’
‘Saw my hours cut every time I complained to a manager about the co-worker who sexually harassed me and then threatened me.’
Part of the problem is that the sorts of issues reported in the Slater & Gordon study, including having your bottom pinched, are widely considered ‘just a bit of fun’, making it hard for workers to feel able to speak out against them:
