If you're a frequent reader of my articles, you know by now that I am by no means a feminist. This doesn't mean that I don't think that women should have the same advantages as men do; this solely means that I personally wouldn't spend all of my time hardcore arguing for women's rights.
Think that's strange all you want, that's just how I feel. However, just because this is how I feel, does not mean that I made up the title of this article. Although I am by no means a feminist, I still think this following study is somewhat surprising, and I of course, would never condone it.
A new study, which has recently been printed in Psychology of Women Quarterly cites that women who self-identify themselves as feminist activists face more sexual harassment in the workplace.
To get specific, being a feminist activist is defined by the study as “a variable measured by how many items participants checked on a list of potential 'activist' activities, like signing a petition, donating money to a feminist cause, or writing a letter to a member of congress”
Feminist identity differs in this study, as identifying as being 'feminist' is simply associating yourself with the values of female equality and feminism. This categorization accounts for over 58% of women.
Why is this happening? The study attributes two possible reasoning's for this link between workplace harassment and feminism. One: men are more inclined to be threatened by feminists who are attempting to put a dent in the workplace patriarchy, and subsequently feel the impulse to somehow bring them down.
Secondly: feminists are more likely to report such incidents to upper management, as well as more likely to correctly identify these incidents as “sexual harassment” in the first place, rather than just some office jokes that would only make you feel slightly uncomfortable.
Regardless of what a woman identifies herself as, sexual harassment in the office is in no way acceptable. Although I would never identify myself as a 'feminist activist,' I would never condone someone being brought down for his or her own personal beliefs.
If you see any of this behavior happening, or if it's happening to yourself, speak up and say something.
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