Forbes: On Sexual Harassment: Hey Ladies, Man Up!

Submitted by anthony on Sat, 2010-12-11 03:51

Article here. Excerpt:

'But while workplace sexual harassment is very real, Browne says there is also a predilection for women to equate hostility as harassment. Roughly 12,000 sexual harassment charges filed each year in the U.S., according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Browne’s work on sexual harassment is controversial, and the basis of his argument is this: Women seek to be treated equally to their male counterparts at work. In fact, the federal law Title XII, which is invoked in sexual harassment cases, interprets harassment as a form of sexual discrimination—of treating women differently than men. And while some women have had to endure foul, crude or sexually raw working conditions in the form of language, intimidation or degradation, Browne argues that men have long subjected each other to the very same abuses at work.

He continues: This behavior is a part of the male tool kit for competitive situations–a means of weeding out the strong from the weak that dates back to the era of hunter-gatherers.

The upshot is that if women want to be treated as true equals, then they better get used to it.'

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Comments

To the contrary, in a hunter situation, one does not want to annoy his fellow hunter, as that fellow is armed. Hunting requires a great deal of cooperation for success, not competition.

But to his larger point, I could not disagree more-- calling people rude names at work or elsewhere is simply bullying, and is harassment. It is one thing to criticize another's work, but ad hominem attacks are immature and counterproductive. In and of themselves, provided they don't include sexual innuendo, they are not sexual harassment-- but they are harassment and ought to be treated as such.

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Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2010-12-11 23:18

because women feel entitled and know that they can get away with it.

This is ignored and never mentioned, while the article addresses more subtle points.

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Submitted by PaulG on Sun, 2010-12-12 03:13

A big name publication is telling them that if they want to be like men, they need to get used in being treated like one.

They just can't have their cake and eat it too, like the spoiled brats most of them are.

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Submitted by otomo on Mon, 2010-12-13 13:37