User:SGEAgatha/sandbox

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Sexual Harassment
Girl Watching

Girl Watching is considered a game amongst men in which they sexually evaluate women. This game is a form of sexual harassment, one that is very common in the workplace. This game, just like other forms of sexual harassment are not the actions of an indivdual outside of the norm, but rather of those within it. An analysis of sexual harassment surveys, conducted by Ilies, revealed that when the question regarding sexual harassment was phrased 'if women had ever experienced sexual harassment' then the frequency of women's responses was 24%, whereas if women were asked 'if they had experienced sexually harassing behaviors' then the frequency was 58%.

Beth Quinn (2002), the author of “Sexual Harassment and Masculinity: The Power and Meaning of ‘Girl Watching' originally was not researching Girl Watching when she stumbled upon the game, however, Quinn (2002) stated that her work was more exploratory than confirmatory, explaining why she continued exploring the idea of Girl Watching. At first, Quinn was researching the difference between what women and men see as sexual harassment. It was through the interviews (43) that she conducted that she noticed an occurrence of the game upon her interviews with men. As well as interviews Quinn (2002) observed the participants of her interviews and gathered more information regarding the game through said observations. She learned that men, usually when in a group, will watch the women around them and make comments towards them.

Quinn (2002) found that men saw no problems with this and simply thought of it as a game that caused no harm to the women. Men are able to excuse sexual harassment, becomes it isn't seen as such to them; men see it as a 'game' or 'playing'. Men, as well, use humor to sexually harass women. Through humor, men can make crude remarks, and if caught can claim that it was only a joke and that women need to loosen up. This results in the continuation of sexual harassment against women. Through instances like these, men sexually harassing women or their advances are encourgaed, in turn forcing women to reject men politely, only resulting in more sexual advances from men. Through Quinn (2002) asking men to imagine themselves as women, they unintentionally revealed the harm it causes women. The men began to claim they would make sure to dress appropriately and in ways to not draw the attention of other men so that they would not be targeted. It was this information that revealed the harm Girl Watching caused to women. Quinn continued to learn more about men's feelings towards the game and its effect on women through her interviews. Quinn learned that it was fun for men until they got caught. If a woman looked towards the group that was watching her during their remarks or said something to them, it would make things awkward and no longer the fun game they were playing. This is because men were looking at women as objects and as soon as the women made notice of them or they got caught, they would become a subject objecting, ruining their game because she was no longer an object for their enjoyment. Women are seen as objects, with no feelings are thoughts, not as subjects.

This sexual harassment not only occurs because of men's attraction to women, but rather more as a power move. Similar to most cases of sexual harassment, men tend to harass as a way of staying in power. When men feel threatened, they will resort to sexual harassment as a way of maintaining their power. Men also harass as a way of maintaing their masculinity, especially when they feel it is threatened. When men feel that their masculinity is threatended or their gender, they resort to sexual harassment as a means of reinenfrocing their dominance, and assurning themselves of their identity. Along with this, when men felt thretended, their likelihood of participating in sexual harassing behaviors increased. There is an unequal power balance between men and women, and this is a result of sexual harassment. This power balance being unequal is due to men sexually harassing women, in order to stay in power. This keeps the power out of balance, and in favor of men.

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Sexual Harassment of Women of Color

The sexual harassment women of color face are often ignored when discussions about sexual harassment women face occur. Harassment of women of color tends to stem from racial discrimination. Poor African American women are more likely to experience sexual harassment but less likely to be seen as a victim. It is conditions like these that make it difficult for women of color to report sexual harassment, allowing the cycle to continue. Earlier studies revealed that there was no difference between the sexual harassment rates of white women and women of color. However, there is evidence that reveals women of color deal with sexual harassment, this sexual harassment is on more severe lines.

Race and gender influence most of the sexual harassment that women of color face. Women of color are less likely to report sexual harassment if the perpetrator is the same race. This is known as the code of silence. This is influenced by the race of the harasser, and predominately affects women of color. Black women don’t usually see things that a white woman would claim to be sexual harassment because they are accustomed to it, it is normal to them and so there isn’t much of a problem.

Something that is unique to the sexual harassment of women of color is the common bond factor. The common bond factor is when a man of color sees someone of their own race or culture, and they feel as if it is okay to sexually harass them. They think that they can act and talk without regard to the law because they feel as if it is not being broken.

The perception of sexual harassment from women of color includes racism and sexism whereas white women's perception only includes sexism. There is this interlocking of relations, commonly known as intersectionality, within the sexual harassment women of color face, between racism and sexism. White women, when speaking about sexual harassment, speak from the role of a victim whereas women of color speak from the role of a harasser. Women of color, as well, have stereotypes taken into consideration when it comes to harassment. These stereotypes make it difficult for women of color to come forward about sexual harassment, as they will likely not be believed. For instance, there is the stereotype that Latin women are super emotional and tend to overreact. This stereotype may be conveyed when a Latin woman comes forward about sexual harassment, resulting in her claim not being taken seriously. Speaking up results in stereotypes being put on the person coming forward, making them uncomfortable with doing so. Similarly, it is difficult for women of color to be supported when speaking out, as their experiences are different from those of white women, as is the case of Anita Hill. Particularly, the feminist movement is geared towards helping white women rather than women of color due to women of color’s experiences being foreign. In turn, women of color don’t join feminist movements or groups because they don’t see their experiences reflected.

There is a relationship between legal status and sexual harassment; there is an intersectionality between them. Citizen status can influence women experiencing or reporting sexual harassment. Being undocumented can make it difficult to come forward for fear of being deported. White women with citizenship say that sexual harassment is unwanted behavior, women of color without citizenship found it difficult to explain what they thought sexual harassment was, but that it did include race. This however makes it difficult for Black women to differentiate sexual harassment in the workplace from sexual harassment in society.