Quote from: zephirus on April 13, 2011, 03:47:17 PMQuote from: T200 on April 13, 2011, 03:21:34 PMQuote from: zephirus on April 13, 2011, 01:36:42 PM
"While at that team, she was the subject of harassment. She chose not to report that harassment and never made a single complaint to anyone, other than talking to her friends about her life. "
This is the biggest key of all for me. If we are going to take sexual harassment seriously it HAS TO BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY. Anything less means that the attention was, at best, welcome or warranted, and at worst, ignored. Unless it is made clear that the actions taken are offensive, the "victim" loses all credibility. Favre is culpable for harassment. Sterger is equally culpable for not reporting it.
I don't hold her accountable for the situation just because she didn't report the harassment. Consider that the incident with Inez Sainz was still fresh, Sterger clearly didn't want that kind of scrutiny heaped on her. Let's face it, when it comes to sexual harassment/rape, more often than not, it's the victimized woman who is put on trial, not the offender. The woman has to defend her actions before the light is cast on the perpetrator. How is that just?
Mike/T200,
I'm not suggesting that Sterger's refusal to quickly report the harassment in any way condones Favres behavior. Nor am I suggesting that Favre's actions weren't disgusting. I'm not even suggesting that her failure to report it makes his behavior warranted. I'm simply suggesting that if she had reported this quickly and quietly, it would not have garnered the media frenzy that happened later as a result of her waiting. She probably could have even made the report anonymously. I totally agree that most women that are victimized by harassment are reluctant to step forward because of the scrutiny it will place on them, but I think it's a terribly weak excuse. I have a hard time believing an employer would fire a female who reported sexual harassment, usually they are more than accomodating to make sure that the behavior doesn't continue (possibly by firing the perpetrator), and that male colleagues are made aware of what is and isn't acceptable. I think not reporting it sends one of two messages. One is that the contact/behavior is ok. Two is that the texts (in this case) were being ignored. Neither sends a distinct message to stop. There was also rumors that Sterger sent a text saying "If that is you in the picture you have a reason to smile", in reference to a picture of Favre's manhood. If true, it totally undermines her credibility that the contact was unwarranted.
I think most self respecting females who are made uncomfortable at work by sexual harassment report it immediately. Until females see it as the best option, this will only be cyclical.
Zeph,
So you're saying that if Jenn had reported the harassment quietly that it would not have garnered the media attention? Think about it for a minute: an anonymous woman claims Brett Fav-ruh harassed her. You don't think that would get leaked to the media?
As far as a woman getting fired, companies are savvy enough not to fire someone for reporting harassment. They can be sued for reprisal. However, what they can do is make the job situation so untenable that the woman would eventually quit on her own. Not saying that all companies do that, but some indeed do. There's a stigma attached to snitches. Nobody likes 'em. More often than not, women who are harassed/raped are not perceived to be the victim. Instead they are the instigator by dressing provocatively, showing their skin off to a bunch of testosterone-filled jocks. In the eyes of many, they get what they're looking for. Unfortunately, the guys see the tight jeans as an invitation to cross the line. It simply isn't.
Let's say Lucy Pinder, out of nowhere, walks up to you, flashes her goodies in your face, and you comment, "Wow, VERY NICE!" Does that mean the contact was warranted, simply because you complimented her assets without an iota of contact prior?