Katrina vanden Heuvel, writing in the Washington Post, makes the point that sexual harassment happens to all women, including working class women:
Yet, as journalist Barbara Ehrenreich has noted, “our current sex harassment discussion is woefully class-skewed. Too much about actresses and not enough about hotel housekeepers.” Sexual harassment is grounded in an imbalance of power, the heady sense that one can commit wrongful acts with impunity. Not surprisingly, it is most prevalent where the power imbalance is the most extreme. Ehrenreich cites Chicago’s Unite Here Local 1, the hospitality union, which found that nearly 60 percent of hotel workers in the greater Chicago area reported being sexually harassed on the job. Too often the male guests feel free to get “handsy” or to appear with no clothes on.
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Waitresses also are constant targets. In most places, they are forced to work for a subminimum wage — the federal rate is a paltry $2.13 per hour— and tips. To get decent tips, they learn to put up with obnoxious abuse and worse.
WaPo: The sexual harassment conversation needs to move to the next level
She also quotes from a open letter from the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas to the actresses harassed and assaulted or raped by Harvey Weinstein. The letter is worth quoting in its entirety:
Dear Sisters,
We write on behalf of the approximately 700,000 women who work in the agricultural fields and packing sheds across the United States. For the past several weeks we have watched and listened with sadness as we have learned of the actors, models and other individuals who have come forward to speak out about the gender-based violence they’ve experienced at the hands of bosses, coworkers and other powerful people in the entertainment industry. We wish that we could say we’re shocked to learn that this is such a pervasive problem in your industry. Sadly, we’re not surprised because it’s a reality we know far too well. Countless farmworker women across our country suffer in silence because of the widespread sexual harassment and assault that they face at work.
We do not work under bright stage lights or on the big screen. We work in the shadows of society in isolated fields and packinghouses that are out of sight and out of mind for most people in this country. Your job feeds souls, fills hearts and spreads joy. Our job nourishes the nation with the fruits, vegetables and other crops that we plant, pick and pack.
Even though we work in very different environments, we share a common experience of being preyed upon by individuals who have the power to hire, fire, blacklist and otherwise threaten our economic, physical and emotional security. Like you, there are few positions available to us and reporting any kind of harm or injustice committed against us doesn’t seem like a viable option. Complaining about anything —even sexual harassment— seems unthinkable because too much is at risk, including the ability to feed our families and preserve our reputations.
We understand the hurt, confusion, isolation and betrayal that you might feel. We also carry shame and fear resulting from this violence. It sits on our backs like oppressive weights. But, deep in our hearts we know that it is not our fault. The only people at fault are the individuals who choose to abuse their power to harass, threaten and harm us, like they have harmed you.
In these moments of despair, and as you cope with scrutiny and criticism because you have bravely chosen to speak out against the harrowing acts that were committed against you, please know that you’re not alone. We believe and stand with you.
In solidarity,
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas
Latino USA: The Open Letter That Latina Farmworkers Wrote About Hollywood and Sexual Assault
I write about this not to compare suffering. Harassment of any woman is wrong and likely illegal. This is a problem that affects all women regardless of class, race, nationality, job, etc. It’s not just Hollywood and politicians. My partner told me that she was sexually harassed on every job she had as an adult until she became a nurse.
It’s clear that our current laws have failed.
What is needed is a movement of all decent people, women and men, to change our system. We need tougher laws. We need people to stand up against this.
Defeating Trump and Republicans is just a first step. We need to make the workplace and rest of our society free from this predation.