[net.women] Harassment

hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (08/22/85)

In article <692@ttidcc.UUCP> regard@ttidcc.UUCP (Adrienne Regard) writes:
>A man was a boss of 20 workers - 10 women, 10 men.  He told 4 of the women
>that he would promote them if they slept with him. 2 said no. 2 said yes. 1
>of the yes-sayers was promoted.  The question:
>
>Who was discriminated against?  The woman who was promoted based on other
>"attributes" than her skills?  The woman who said yes and didn't get promoted,
>the two women who said no but may have been more skilled?  The 6 women who
>weren't even asked, or the 10 men who weren't apparently in the running for
>the promotion solely on the basis of their sex?
>
>(and then, the author also asks, "How would you make them whole?" in a
>court of law.)

Ok, I'll give it a try (switching to legal mode)...

By offering promotions on a basis other  than  merit  (assuming  he  wasn't
running  a  brothel)  the  boss was discriminating against anyone who could
only obtain promotion through merit (the 10 men, the 6 women not asked  and
the  2  women  who  said no).  By offering promotion in exchange for sexual
favors he was committing sexual harrassment against the 4 women he made the
offer  to.  By  not  promoting  one  of the women who said yes he committed
breach of (verbal) contract.

To "make them whole" in the legal sense, the boss  could  be  charged  with
sexual  harrassment  and civil damages sought by the four he propositioned.
The woman who was promoted should be evaluated on the basis  of  merit  and
demoted  if  the  promotion is not warranted on that basis.  Extra punitive
damages could be sought by the woman who said yes and wasn't  promoted.  If
I were the boss' superior, I'd fire him for cause.

Not exactly in the tradition of Solomon, but a start ...

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The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
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