Men and Women BOTH always question if a woman ACTUALLY being Sexually Harassed , or did she misunderstand? Or it wasn’t meant to be? Or she was over-reacting?
Then the uglier spectrum of – oh she was just “asking for it”, – look at the way she dresses, look at the way she drinks at office parties, look at the way she stays back late to work, look at the way she always works in men only teams…
So De-Coding ACTUAL Sexual Harassment in 10 quick steps:
- NO Woman asks for it – despite the short dresses, drinking at parties, staying late to work! Victim Shaming is abhorrent – lets just STOP IT!
- A man says he was just complimenting a woman for being sexy (this just happened : TVF case) – That my friend is SEXUAL HARASSMENT! Now let me explain – the woman came to office to work in clothes she chose, for they made her feel strong and confident and beautiful – and NOT for the man to call her Sexy!!
- A woman is working on a laptop and her cleavage is showing – then newsflash – Women wear Bras and have necklines, and this is NORMAL! Its not for a man to stare, or reach out to brush…!!!! So if the man simply says – that she was “doing it to attract him” etc etc – Simply stand up for the woman and say “SHUT UP”!!!!
- An email / chat script in office sent to a woman with explicit comments or suggestive comments – is Sexual Harassment! No a man cannot “test waters” to see if she is positive or not…
- A woman is single or divorcee – then she isn’t available! And if the man thought she was available and thus made a play – it is Sexual Harassment!
- A man accidentally switches on PORN on his PC when a woman is around – it is Sexual Harassment! Such accidents aren’t accidents – they are ways of harassing a woman and making her uncomfortable and watch her reactions!
- A man asks a woman employee if she knows the local “Red Light Area” – NO thats not him just seeking information innocently! It is Sexual Harassment!
- The promise of “big things” (implying salary hike, promotions) happen when “big things are done” by women to men bosses! It is Sexual Harassment…
- If she is drinking at an office party – and a man touches her and/or invites other men to touch her – after all she is a drunk woman implying that she is of lose character! It is Sexual Harassment!
- Accidental slips of hands to her arm, neckline, waist (near the sari edge), neck – on the pretext of removing hair or paper or an insect – It is Sexual Harassment!
Dear Men and Women – who were wondering if a woman was ACTUALLY being Sexually Harassed – I hope these 10 points helped you!
And YES – women actually doubt other women when they accuse men of Sexual Harassment!
And YES – not all men sexually harass women!
And YES – men also get sexually harassed (but accept that this is far between) -and I promise to write about it soon!
#StopSexualHarassment #genderBias #GenderBasedViolence