Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Happen More Frequently Than You Might Think

By Gilbert Russell McWherter Scott Bobbitt PLC

In early December of 2015 Fortune.com published an article about one of the witnesses in the case ofEllen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers LLC and DOES 1-20 (a gender discrimination case out of San Francisco), a woman named Trae Vassallo. What Ms. Vassallo discovered, after she delivered testimony about her own experiences with #sexual_harassment, was that an “overwhelming number” of women wanted to discuss their personal experiences with harassment and discrimination – enough to lead her to co-author a study of 200 women in the technology field about their experiences. Her findings show:

• Women who have experienced an unwanted sexual advance at work: 60%
• Women who reported that experience: 39%
• Women who were not given career-advancing opportunities: 66%
• Women who have witnessed sexist behavior at offsite events and conferences: 90%
• Women who have witnessed or experienced gender bias: 88%
• Women who have been questioned about their personal lives during an interview (marriage, children): 75%

What these statistics can tell us

Most people have what they think are good definitions of “gender discrimination” and “sexual harassment” in their heads. What studies have shown over the years, which is no surprise, is that men and women often have vastly different ideas about what those definition are. In fact, those definitions will vary widely between members of the same sex. What everyone seems to agree on is that unwanted sexual advances – touching, catcalling, repeatedly asking for dates, making sexual comments or discussing sexual content – is sexual harassment. Telling inappropriate jokes and commenting on a woman’s attire can also be forms of harassment when they are unwanted, while purposely passing over a more qualified woman for a promotion in favor of a male employee instead is a form of #gender _discrimination.

Ultimately, numbers like these prove that women are faced with far more challenges in the workplace than what is generally reported. There are rules and laws in place to ensure that everyone feels safe at work and are otherwise evaluated on an equal playing ground. There is simply no reason for a female endure this treatment and fail to seek assistance. In many situations, these matters can be addressed privately and confidentially. With all of the protections afforded to employers, it is critically important that these situations be handled properly. If you believe you may have been a victim of sexual harassment or gender discrimination, or are unsure how to proceed, we invite you to contact Jonathan Bobbitt or Justin Gilbert at The Gilbert Firm to reserve a consultation with a skilled employee rights attorney in our Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis, or Jackson office locations.

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