Harassment Charges Caught Attention

By JenniferS. Blandford

Throughout October, America's eyes were glued to the unbelievable scandal unfolding Itwas a nightmare whichcapturedeveryone'sattentionandkeptthemfixed on thetelevisionfor several days.

Thebattle between ClarenceThomas, aU.S. Supreme Courtnominee,andAnitaHill,a professorat the University ofOklahoma, lasted several days. A fascinated America watched as theyfoughtand testifiedtheirway to fame overthe ugly chargesof sexual harassment

Hill, a former co-worker ofThomas', claimed that a decadeearlierThomashadoffendedher withlewdjokes, crudecomments, and conversationsthat were inappropriate for the office

Thomas repeatedly denied thesecharges, reminding Hill of what he saidwere the facts.

He reminded her that she voluntarily followed him from their firstjob togetherat the Departmentof Education to their nextjob withthe EqualEmploymentOpportunityCommission (EEOC)

He talked about thefriendly relationship whichHill had keptup followingtheir work at theEEOC. During this time,she made more than 10 recorded personal phone calls to Thomas' office.

Shealso,after acceptinghercurrent position with the Universityof Oklahoma, invitedhim to spendtime with heron severaloccasionswhilehewas in Tulsaonbusiness.

Hill did all this, even though shesaidshefound Thomasto be offensive. In fact,she thoughthis conductto be so offensive that, even 10 years afterthe fact, she was willingto putherown credibilityon theline to make it public, just as Thomas was aboutto reachthe high point of his career. And why? Because, in her own words, she felt shehad to"tell the truth."

Suddenly, everyonein America needed to know the "truth," even though shehad neverbefore voicedor implied any complaintsagainsthim.

At theend of this gruelinghearing, America watched anxiously asHill'sclaimswere finallypronounced impertinenttoThomas'abilityasajudge on theSupreme Court

Although these hearingsare over, theywon'tsoonbe forgotten. This sad case did more than question the credibility of bothClarenceThomas andAnitaHill, they forcedAmericato face the serious issue of sexualharassment

Sadly enough,forwomen in the work place, sexual harassmenthas become a fact of life. In a Newsweek Poll, 21 percentofthewomen surveyed saidtheyhad beena victim of harassment,and 42 percent said they knew someone who had been harassed Other surveystaken indicate thatoverone-halfof America's working women will face some form of sexual harassmentat least once in their careers.

Many women feel thattherootof the problem is that men are rarely harassed and do not realize what it is. They do not understand how a woman feelswhen her boss, supervisor, ormale co-worker sneersasuggestive comment about herfigure orher appearance.

Itisunderstood by most people,that a supervisor demanding sexualfavors from awoman in exhange for continued employment isa legitimate case of harassment.But whataboutaggressiveflirting? Or unwelcomed jokes?Or off-colorremarks? These arealso considered formsof sexual harassment.

Webster'sdictionarydefinesharassmentas "to trouble, worry, ortorment, with cares, debts, orrepeated questions."

Withinthe lastdecade,many improvementshavebeen made in dealingwithsexual harassment.

In 1980 the EEOC statedthatemployment basedon the grounds of sexual activity was forbidden by theCivil RightsActof 1964.

Sincethen, most companies have written the definition ofsexual harassment into theiremployee rules of conduct They have also included in their company policies the steps to be taken when harassment is reported.

But many women feel these improvements are not enough. Women need to come forward withtheir complaints of harassment, withouthavingto fearlosing their jobs, to let men know that they will not tolerate unwelcomed advancesorcomments anylonger.