EDITORIAL - Addressing sexual harassment in the workplace
On the international scene, one major story that has been making headlines for the past week has been the allegations of sexual misconduct and rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. As was the case with Bill Cosby, fans were knocked for a loop at an exposé revealing that Weinstein had not only allegedly sexually abused women in work-related encounters, but had paid out large sums of money on different occasions to keep the incidences hidden.
What makes this matter so striking is not only the fame and power of the alleged perpetrator – Weinstein’s company is worth millions and he is considered the creme de la creme of Tinseltown – nor is it the sheer number of accusers coming out the woodwork to shed light on these horrific secrets. What is remarkable is the women/victims, many themselves now powerful and famous on the global stage.
On closer analysis, what all these women had in common was their position of vulnerability, especially when it came to their careers, which put them in the crosshairs and at the mercy of a studio bigwig. Actresses who have spoken up, for example Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose Mcgowan, all claim that Weinstein used his position as the head of their production company in their early professional careers to push his sexual advances. To date, there have been 44 women who have come forward accusing Weinstein of similar behaviour and insinuating or outright warning them of professional retaliation if they refused or revealed his actions.
Weinstein’s alleged behaviour would have had its genesis in the workplace and it is in this environment that several women are sexually harassed. Statistics show that though more women may be employed compared to men, there are more men in powerful positions in businesses compared to women. What this equates to is more little fish in the sea on which those few big, bad sharks feed. Whether or not the disproportionate ratio of men to women in these positions changes, there needs to be more and better protections in place to protect against sexual harassment in the workplace – for both females and males.
Here in Barbados, the importance of such is policy has been identified. Parliament is currently debating the Employment Sexual Harassment (Prevention) Act 2017, which defines sexual harassment as (a) the use of sexually suggestive words, comments, jokes, gestures or actions that annoy, alarm or abuse a person; (b) the initiation of uninvited physical contact with a person; (c) the initiation of unwelcome sexual advances or the requests of sexual favours from a person; (d) asking a person intrusive questions that are of a sexual nature that pertain to that person’s private life (e) transmitting sexually offensive writing or material of any kind; (f) making sexually offensive telephone calls to a person; or (g) any other sexually suggestive conduct of an offensive nature.
This Act further stipulates that there be a clear written policy statement within the workplace and that employees be presented with such and be made to understand such at the commencement of their employment.
It is hoped that the Employment Sexual Harassment (Prevention) Act helps to eliminate the current culture of acceptance and secrecy that surrounds sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, that this movement towards greater respect for women translates to a greater respect for all genders.