When speaking of misconduct in the workplace multiple factors come into place on what necessarily makes an act inappropriate. Workplace sexual harassment is considered worldwide a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination. Sexual harassment in the workplace affects productivity of the victims. Cases that could have potentially brought down many people for their participation in these acts were not taken as seriously before because sexual harassment was so difficult to define, measure, and monitor.
Movements like “Me Too” and “Times Up” are all examples of showing how important our voices are and by not telling the truth we are enabling this behavior. It could continue to remain pervasive and underreported, and neither legislation nor market incentives will be able to end it if something isn’t done. That being said there has been such a dramatic change in our business world regarding these topics more people are starting to speak about their experiences and that brings up the question of credibility.
The very first accusation made that comes into mind when this topic is brought up is the Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas case. This took place in the early nineteen nineties, at the time Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court, decided to retire. President George Herbert Walker Bush had taken the opportunity then to nominate more of a conservative judge and so he appointed Clarence Thomas this of course was instantly controversial.
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Many people felt that because of his political view he would vote against civil rights gains, affirmative action and even legal abortion just to name a few of their concerns at the time. Despite these dilemmas his nomination process continued until it moved to the floor of the Senate and that’s when it really took a dramatic turn. Anita Hill a law professor teaching at the University of Oklahoma, came forward with accusations that Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her. She had worked for Clarence years earlier when he was in charge of an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. She explained how he used to try to have inappropriate conversations and would even go as far as talking “…about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape scenes. He talked about pornographic materials depicting individuals with large penises or large breasts involved in various sex acts.
On several occasions, Thomas told me graphically of his own sexual prowess.” In her testomonity she had no interest in having a romantic relationship with him. Putting oneself in her shoes one can only imagine the disgust and embarrassment of having to explain these accusations to an all white male senate judiciary committee. Her credibility was doubted and she was questioned for her bold attempt to try to “ruin” the judges chances of being on the supreme court.
