The racist , however , will not be hired , yet the sexist will . Why so ? Because sex discrimination is endemic in all societies , and we are all victims of it . We therefore accept it and embed it in our daily life .
ecommendation two : Attitude towards misconduct .
We speak frequently about a system that encourages women to report sexual harassment , but many women do not report incidents for fear of retaliation , stigmatization or mistrust . Our working culture is still operating in a patriarchal society , under which blame is readily placed upon the victim and not the perpetrator : " Of course , he made a comment about you , look at what you ' re wearing !". And often , the response by human resources is to conduct an investigation and expose the person denouncing sexual harassment in a process that is not fair , often involving a confrontation with the perpetrator .
I have been working for several years in the arena of response to gender-based violence , and if there is one thing that I have learned , it is that the person coming forward to report an incident of gender-based violence should be believed , in the same way one trusts a person reporting a robbery or an assault . When someone is reporting a violation of her or his personal space , you set your own judgment aside and believe that person . You ask the person what she or he feels should be the best way forward , and you act accordingly . Human resources should be acting for the benefit of the reporting employee , and by doing so , will indeed be acting for the benefit of the overall organization when the reporting employee feels safe , trusted and cared for .
Recommendation three : Adapting a feminist approach within the organization
Organizations should focus on implementing policies that value female employees for what they do and how they do it and not as a token to political correctness . This policies should take into account the specific needs of women and explain these to male staff to engage men in efforts to promote positive masculinity . These policies should not dilute the experience of female employees by segregating them and should instead acknowledge the unequal power structures for men and women in the workplace .
A real zero tolerance policy should be applied , and all employees should be in the position of activating the process to initiate a claim , without fear of ostracism , being judged or losing their job . While reporting mechanisms may be in place , they are often not used , not because the need is not there , but because requesting access to these services is still not within the culture of the employee nor the organization .
Putting into place reporting mechanisms , minus the safeguards necessary to ensure that the system is actually used , means that the organization is failing to ensure a safe working environment for its female employees and perpetuating a culture of " ticking a box " in the name of combatting sex discrimination and promoting sex equality .
Elisa Cappeletti Gender-based violence expert . Aid worker with extensive experience in the field of human rights in emergencies .
So for the reader , how would you be made to feel safe in your working place ?
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