About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

65 S. Cal. L. Rev. 1445 (1991-1992)
Sexual Harassment: The Nature of the Beast

handle is hein.journals/scal65 and id is 1463 raw text is: SEXUAL HARASSMENT: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST* ANITA F. HILL** The response to my Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony has been at once heartwarming and heart-wrenching. In learning that I am not alone in experiencing harassment, I am also learning that there are far too many women who have experienced a range of inexcusable and illegal activities-from sexist jokes to sexual assault-on the job. My reaction has been to try to learn more. As an educator, I always begin to study an issue by examining the scientific data-the articles, the books, the studies. Perhaps the most compelling lesson is in the stories told by the women who have written to me. I have learned much; I am continuing to learn; I have yet ten times as much to explore. I want to share some of this with you. The Nature of the Beast describes the existence of sexual harass- ment, which is alive and well. A harmful, dangerous thing that can con- front a woman at any time. What we know about harassment, sizing up the beast: Sexual harassment is pervasive... (1) It occurs today at an alarming rate. Statistics show that any- where from forty-two to ninety percent of women will experience some form of harassment during their working lives. At least one percent experience sexual assault. Yet the statistics do not fully tell the story of the anguish of women who have been told in various ways on the first day of a job that sexual favors are expected. Or the story of women who were sexually assaulted by men with whom they continued to work. (2) It has been occurring for years. In letters to me, women tell of incidents that occurred fifty years ago when they were first entering the * This article is based on remarks presented by Anita Hill at the National Forum for Women State Legislators late last year. It was previously published in the January/February 1992 issue of Ms. ** Professor of Law, University of Oklahoma. 1445

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most