Female workers face unchanging harassment over 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

38% percent of female workers face sexual harassment in today’s world despite legislation banning this. That is an estimated 30 million women who do not feel safe in an environment they are in almost every single day. 

The only way to describe these circumstances is unacceptable and inhumane. There is simply not enough being done on the political stage to remedy these issues. Beyond namesake legislation there is very little that is actually being done to foster changes to sexual harassment cases. Women are kept in silence, fearing harm that may result from them speaking out. They are not encouraged to share their story but rather to hide it, leading to massive under-reporting. 

Women should not have to change their careers entirely or leave their places of work because they are being violated in unspeakable ways. Female workers must be entitled to the same rights as their male counterparts if there is even a chance at remedying this civil rights issue in the near future. 

There has been significant progress with this issue in recent years, especially with Tarana Burke, who created the MeToo Movement. Mrs. Burke has and continues to work on awareness for victims of sexual abuse, particularly helping African American victims who are often overlooked and misrepresented. She has united women across the country and beyond with her MeToo hashtag being used over 19 million times on Twitter alone. Burke has broken the silence for many, showing that standing up is not an act of rebellion but rather one of bravery. She has served as role model and voice for many who wish to get involved in activism but are not able to by making true change from the ground up. 

However, the fight to end the overlooking of sexual harassment is far from over. There is much more work to be done beyond what great models like Burke have achieved. People all across the United States have the chance to get involved in supporting this monumental movement. Changing the lives of the 30 million women who are mistreated in the workplace is a great task and can only be achieved with the combined efforts of many. 

Getting involved, even if it is not on the protest front, is something everyone is capable of. Even helping those close to you who have experienced sexual harassment firsthand is important and valuable. Helping victims can consist of making them feel as though they have the autonomy to do whatever they choose, whether it be taking issues to court, switching jobs, or so much more. It is important that they know that the abuse is not their fault, but rather an egregious thing inflicted upon them by another.

Also, it is crucial to make victims feel as though the abuse is not a defining part of their identity or the only thing people see when they look at them. Oftentimes, those who have experienced sexual harassment want others to aknowledge them for who they truly are — this allows them to seem themselves outside of the abuse that has occurred. Sexual harassment is an extremely delicate subject, no matter how close you are to a victime, and it is always okay if they are not ready to talk about it.

Furthermore, make sure that you know there are resources for you as well. It can be extremely painful when someone close to you has had to experience something so horrible. Taking care of others is difficult and certainly not something you have to go through alone. Seeking counseling or even a support group nearby is not weak or pitiful but rather a smart decision that will allow you to care for the person close to you to the best of your ability. 

Workplace sexual harassment is such an important thing to address, whether on a political or social front. You can always help, even if it only means helping someone feel less alone and alienated. Resources are in large numbers nowadays on the internet, being readily available to anyone who wishes to find them. We are not in the pre-civil rights era, so there is no reason why working women should feel as though they must ignore what has happened to them in order to progress in their careers. It is 2024, and it is time that we start acting like it.