Sexual Harassment In The 18th Century Essay

Evolution of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in Law For every right gained for women, there is another right to fight for. In the colonial era, women had no control over themselves, under coverture. Due to the separation of the public and private spheres, where women were associated with the home and the public life of business and politics were associated with men, women’s participation in the public sphere was limited, and they were denied legal relief for the private sphere. Domestic violence was one of the early issues of feminists to tackle.
Under coverture, a woman’s legal identity merged into her husband’s upon marriage, previously ruled by her father before. This meant she could not control her own property, sue or be sued, enter into control, or control her own wages. The view of women as property made the abuse of women’s bodies hard to challenge. British Common Law ruled the early days of United States under Colonial Legal Order. The Commentaries on the Laws of England, written by William Blackstone was largely influential in the creation of the common law. His commentaries refer to the husband or father as “master of the house,” and the master is the property owner. Women and children were a form of property under the protection of the male figure. Battery against women
Jackson. Sandra Bundy, an employee of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC) alleged that coworkers and supervisors at the DCDC subjected her to hostile work environment sexual harassment. The Federal District Court had ruled that this was not sex discrimination under Title VII. When the case was remanded to the DC Circuit Court for appeal, they ruled that sexual harassment did indeed violate Title VII, becoming the first federal court to do so. Specifically they ruled that sexual harassment creating a hostile work environment was a