Aragon Too: an investigation of sexual harassment Prevalence of Sexual Harassment
Movements intended to bring awareness to sexual harassment and abuse have existed for decades, in fact, the #MeToo movement was founded back in 2006 by sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that such movements gained momentum and global attention — flooding social media, news cycles, red carpets, and even courtrooms. Disputes over the lasting impact of the #MeToo, Time’s Up and Believe Survivors movements aside, they have all exposed a clear and undeniable truth: sexual harassment affects people of all backgrounds, identities and professions — including students. Aragon students are no exception. The Aragon Outlook decided to examine sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement in our community for this centerspread. Data used was collected from 830 Aragon students through a survey authored by the Outlook editors and administered during math classes. AragonToo is an ongoing project by the Outlook in an effort to shed light on sexual misconduct in the Aragon community. If you would like to become a source for the project, please fill out the survey at bit.ly/OutlookProject or contact one of the Outlook editors.
1970s: The feminist wave of the ‘70s builds momentum, focusing on the issues of workplace harassment and domestic abuse, among others. It increased awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse.
1975: The term “sexual harassment” was first used at Cornell University,
regarding former female employee Carmita Wood, who resigned after her boss inappropriately touched her. Wood tried to claim unemployment benefits and was denied. Wood formed “Working Women United,” an activist organization that helped bring the issue of workplace discrimination to national attention. Studies were conducted on the prevalence of sexual harassment, and new media featured this topic.
Aragon students recognize sexual harassment is a prevalent issue that should be addressed. “Damn near every girl I know has experienced some sort of harassment,” said senior David Avak. While only 20 percent of Aragon students report experiencing sexual harassment, an overwhelming 75 percent of those students are female. “Society has been built to normalize this behavior,” said junior Audrey Yang. “People know if they come out with their experiences often times they will get harassed and the judicial system is not on their side. A big part of moving forward is [addressing] how our culture allows harassment and sexism to occur.” Math teacher Don Bush also believes that sexual harassment is a prevalent issue, but heavy stigmas keep survivors from coming forward. “Sometimes [a victim] will weigh the consequences ... ‘I won’t say anything, [if] I think it’s going to be worse,’” Bush said. “I think that’s the problem — oftentimes when people report they end up being the victim again.” Said senior Gianna Garcia, “Personally, I wouldn’t report [sexual harassment] because it would go around school, people would hear about it, one person would be telling the next, and it would really get blown out of proportion.”
Addressing Sexual Harassment
1 in 5 students at Aragon report having been sexually harassed
1986: Michelle Vinson was fired by her boss after he sexually harassed her for
3 in 5 of the students who have reported harassment also report that it was perpetrated by a peer
over 3 years. She claimed that his harassment created a “hostile work environment,” and she won in a 9-0 decision. This landmark Supreme Court case ruled that workplace discrimination based on race and or sex violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The term “hostile work environment” became mainstream, and many companies began requiring their employees to watch videos and be trained on what constitutes sexual harassment.
Timeline
1991: Anita Hill testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, claiming
that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas harassed her while they worked together at the Education Department. This became national news. While Clarence Thomas was ultimately confirmed, Anita Hill’s highly-publicized testimony brought a wave of attention to the issue of sexual harassment and assault. According to Time Magazine, following her testimony, “sexual-harassment complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission doubled, and payouts from court settlements increased as well.”
2006: Sexual harassment survivor and activist Tarana Burke first used the term “Me Too” on her MySpace account.
Oct. 7, 2017: Ashley Judd, among others, accused director Harvey Wein-
stein of sexual harassment. Over 80 actors who had stayed silent on their experiences came forward in what became known as the “Weinstein effect.” Weinstein was arrested on rape charges in May of 2018. The accusations against Harvey Weinstein erupted in Hollywood, exposing the industry’s long-held tradition of silencing victims of sexual harassment.
2017: But it wasn’t until 2017 that it really took off, following the accusations against Weinstein and high-profile celebrities such as Alyssa Milano used the hashtag on their social media platforms. While #MeToo was popularized by celebrities, it spread throughout social media. In the first 24 hours of posting, it was used over 4.7 million times. It brought an awareness to the issue like never before as survivors of all backgrounds spoke out about their own experiences, utilizing social media as a platform. Jan. 2018: The “Time’s Up” movement against sexual assault and harassment was created and the 2018 Oscars was dominated by actors and actresses who wore black in solidarity with survivors. Many survivors of sexual harassment within the entertainment industry have spoken up, exposing high-profile celebrities. Sept. 27, 2018: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a Palo Alto University psychology professor, testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual assault allegedly committed by Brett Kavanaugh, a nominated Judge for the Supreme Court, at a party 36 years ago. Despite powerful testimony from Ford, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court with a slim margin of 50-48. An FBI investigation into the alleged assault was found inconclusive. Her testimony empowered women to speak up about their stories and share their reasons for silence. Once again, bringing sexual harassment and assault to the political sphere.
Perceptions of the MeToo Movement
A majority of Aragon students believe that sexual harassment is a topic that must be addressed. Junior Aisha Manjarrez thinks talking about the issue will lead more survivors to get help.“I think there should be more awareness and trust into the survivors and I feel society should do something rather than make the perpetrator apologize,” said Manjarrez. “I feel us survivors shouldn’t back down because we are threatened, and if you tell someone and no one believes you, go to different people and let someone at this campus know immediately because they will help you. Just know that you asked for none of this and you are an amazing person regarding what you are or who you are, you are loved.” Addressing one’s own experiences also impacts one’s mental health. “Understanding your own mental health and what is inhibiting you from being the person you want to be or doing the things you want to do, and understanding the role that some current or past assault or harassment has had in that is hugely important,” said psychology teacher Carlo Corti. Junior Elisa Jee also believes talking about sexual harassment will have a positive impact on mental health. “I think sexual harassment is one of the subjects that affects one’s mental health and is extremely hard to talk about. A lot of people struggle and can’t tell people, especially if the person they were sexually harassed by is someone they might be threatened by or someone who they genuinely love or know,” said Jee. “ I feel like a lot of women are struggling and aren’t able to talk about it, which is why I think that it’s inspirational for people to get help.”
3 in 5 students believe sexual harassment “remains a serious problem that must be addressed”
While most Aragon students agree that there should be support for survivors of sexual harassment, there are differing opinions on the purpose and impact of the MeToo movement. One common reservation is that it creates a society where men have to be hyper-aware of their actions. “While the MeToo movement has done a lot of good for women, it has also taken its toll on men,” said sophomore Christopher Capra, “creating an atmosphere in society that makes men always worry about being falsely accused by women, either by accident or for reasons to defame the person.” Contrastingly, junior Natalie Ku believes that the destigmatization of speaking up on sexual harassment has not created a culture of accountability and awareness. “MeToo is not about gender,” she said. “It’s about balance of power and consent … showing others that this kind of harmful behavior will no longer be tolerated.” Similarly, sophomore Austin Porter believes accountability can exist without unjustly accusing innocent people. “It is important to maintain an innocent until proven guilty society,” Porter said. “[But] as it stands, perpetrators of sexual harassment are able to get away with much more than they should, largely because survivors of said harassment are afraid to report it.” While many students believe that MeToo was created with good intent, some believe its message has been lost. “The lack of recognizing male sexual harassment, specifically homosexual survivors and perpetrators, is jarring,” said junior Joey Williams. Layout: Jamie Wang Said junior Elisa Jee, “I remember a girl in the middle sharing her story [at the Believe Survivors walkout], which I was very proud and happy for Copy: Madeline Cho, Brooke Hanshaw, her, but at the end her message was like we can’t trust men, screw them, we hate them,” Jee said. “It just brings such a bad image to feminism, and I do Alyce Thornhill, William Tong, Jamie believe men are the perpetrators more often than women, but that certainly doesn’t make the movement exclusive to women.” Wang and Kim Woo Regarding the statement if reporting could result in more harm than help, 27 percent of Aragon students agree with this sentiment, but 41.6 percent disagree. Graphics: Jamie Wang While AP Psychology teacher Carlo Corti has never encountered or witnessed an account of sexual harassment, he believes that students behave a certain manner based on the environment. “I think students do a good job knowing when they can get away with something, when they can harass someone and not be called out on it, where the time and place is that they can get away with it,” Corti said. “I could say I don’t see a lot of [harassment], but I also know there’s a reason I don’t see a lot of it.”
28% of Aragon students have witnessed student to student harassment on campus