Ladies only please. Have you been harassed on the job?

Are hearing about the allegations surrounding the "Cold Pizza," show, and having read a few articles about similar allegations, I was shocked to learn from several different poll results show more than 40 percent of female journalists have been sexually harassed on the job. Have you? Is harassment on the rise? Most companies now have policies to deal with this in the work place, have you seen an improvement since companies have adopted these policies? Do you feel these poloices go far enough. You do consider something as harassment that most companies don't as yet? Is harassment more prevalent now than when you started in the business?

 

I'm not a journalist, so I didn't vote in the poll, but yes, I have experienced sexual harassment. I've never felt threatened or been touched or anything like that. It's been verbal -- and most of it happened when I was in my first job out of college. To be honest, it didn't really bother me, probably because I didn't feel physically threatened. At my current job, there have been situations where people have said things or told jokes they probably shouldn't have in front of me, but again, it didn't really bother me.

 

Working in sports journalism it comes with the territory. I know when we have threads on the subject I'm quick to point out examples, but overall you just have to pick your battles. Can't make a big deal out of everything. And not every guy is a meathead, just a few who ruin it.

 

Forgive my ignorance - what are the Cold Pizza allegations?

I must be out of the loop...

 

I think a certain level of sexism comes with the territory, but in my case I don't think it's ever risen to the level of harassment.

 

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/43664/

 

I think you need to define 'sexually harassed' for the purpose of this thread.

Physically threatened? Inappropriate language? Touched? Flashed? Pressured to have a social/sexual relationship? Someone showing up at your hotel room door?

Not trying to be difficult about it, but that 40% number probably accounts for women who were technically harassed in the legal sense. If you accounted for all inappropriate/offensive/sexist episodes, the number would be more like 90%. If not higher.

That said....if you want to be a successful woman in the sports business, you better have a long fuse, a cool head, a deaf ear, a really sharp sense of humor, and a talent for being both a lady and one of the guys.

 

Sometimes, it's stunning how little we've evolved.

 

Don't forget a three-dick mouth...

 

Well put, 21.

 

Well said.

I honestly have never met a woman who worked for any length of time in this business and did not have to deal with something inappropriate from a co-worker, boss, coach or athlete. Not a single one.

 

Not picking on you here, I know you're kidding, but the 'just kidding' smiley is what we're talking about. The dumb comment followed by the 'gee, cantcha take a joke?' Yes, we can...when someone actually makes a joke.