Respecting Women in the Workplace

“In the 19th century, the paramount moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century, it was totalitarianism. In this century, it is the brutality inflicted on so many women and girls around the globe: sex trafficking, acid attacks, bride burnings and mass rape.”

So begins a special issue and lengthy article in the New York Times on “Saving the World’s Women: The Women’s Crusade.” It’s reasonable to ask what this has to do with the American workplace. It’s correct to answer not that much. There is sex trafficking in the U.S., but it’s rarely related to the workplace.

This excruciating review of the plight of women throughout the world does a couple of things, however. It reminds us of how far women have come in this country, including the workplace. It also suggests that when women are still discriminated against or harassed in the American workplace, there is a link, a disturbing link, between that discrimination or harassment and the brutality covered in the Times article. 

It’s not the same. It’s not as bad. But it’s a symbol of disrespect based on gender just as the brutality of women across the globe is a symbol of disrespect based on gender. In the overall scheme of things, any form of gender disrespect affects our wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends. It’s not necessary to sell females, burn them, throw acid on them or rape them to have a role in the disrespect of women. All that’s necessary is to tolerate any form of sex discrimination or harassment in the places where we work.

1. 

   Nae says:

   August 31, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   “All that’s necessary is to tolerate any form of sex discrimination or harassment in the places where we work.”….the places where we worship, the places where we shop, the places where we eat or get other kinds of service….the places where we live.
2. 

   John Phillips says:

   August 31, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   Nae,

   Good additions.

   John
3. 

   Chanelle says:

   September 10, 2009 at 12:23 pm

   Women are strong and that scares some men… Rape is NOT always about sex… ITS ABOUT CONTROL!