Sexism In Workplace

“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings,” as Cheris Kramarae once eloquently stated. Feminism strives to end sexism and to achieve equal rights for men and women. In America, it has been attributed to getting women the right to vote, being able to run for a political office, and demanding workplace rights. However, sexism is still extremely rampant in the country, especially in the workplace, and feminism is the only way to end it. One of the major problems sexism causes is differences in wages and benefits. Sexism creates a divergence in the wages of men and women. Anti-feminists argue that it is the women’s faults for not being paid as much. They believe that if a woman worked harder, she would be paid more. However,
Sexual harassment stems from the objectification of women because if some men believe that a woman is just an object, they think they can do anything they want. A prime example of a workplace sexual harassment case is that of Christina Rich, a financial advisor from New Zealand. Rich was sexually harassed, discriminated, victim blamed, and bullied. She was repeatedly sexually harassed by her former immediate boss and was once by a company partner. Rich sent in complaints to higher up bosses of the company, but nothing happened. For instance, “She alleged that between 1999 and 2004, repeated sexual harassment went unchecked, her complaints about discrimination were not taken seriously, and she was punished by being banned from carrying out her job” (NZH 1). None of her bosses cared, and they told her that it was not a big deal. In 2004, Rich quit, and in 2008, she filled a workplace sexism and harassment lawsuit against the company and won. Many women have or are being sexually harassed at work; however, most of them are not as lucky as Rich. Most women who are sexually harassed at work never tell anyone because they are too scared. When a woman does tell someone about the sexual harassment, she is usually victim blamed and told it was her fault, which is why the other women are afraid to tell their bosses about the harassment. Also, like in Rich’s case, if a woman tells her boss about the harassment,
Though, feminism can help eliminate the effects of sexism. By bringing awareness to problems and fighting for the rights women deserve, American men and women in the workplace could finally become