The Harvey Weinstein scandal shows that a skewed power dynamic can allow a few powerful “gatekeepers” in “high-stakes” industries to behave inappropriately toward others without being called out, said Sahar Aziz, a law professor at Rutgers University who was part of the EEOC’s Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace. In these industries, she said, the fear of being blacklisted may prevent victims of sexual harassment from speaking up.
The current public discussion is focused on industries like entertainment, media, and politics — rife with the power dynamics Aziz describes. But sexual harassment happens across all industries — and the EEOC data represents just the tip of a massive iceberg. Some “work settings are just more fertile ground” for inappropriate behavior, said Meg A. Bond, director for the Center for Women and Work at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She was also part of the EEOC task force.
Wages can play a big role. In restaurants, where people are dependent on tips to make a living — and also rely on superiors for shift assignments — many waiters experience a disproportionate amount of sexual harassment from both customers and superiors. “And those who do the harassment know that,” Aziz said.
— Read the full article published on December 5, 2017 on Buzzfeed here.
