Sexual Misconduct in an Unexpected Place
How would you deal with a sexual encounter at work that you were uncomfortable with? Would you brush it off or would you want to share your experience with the world? In society
today, sexual encounters in the workplace have been normalized. Many women deal with this kind of problem every day at work. There are laws in states and rules within companies to handle these matters, but that does not always stop the problem. Recently, female scientists have been forthcoming about their sexual encounters in the work field and many have written articles regarding their experiences. Although sexual misconduct has been normalized throughout the workplace, female scientists have recently expressed that because of this problem it is hard for them to further their career.
Many students in college have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. As many as 25.6% of women will be raped in their lifetime (Berger). College is the gateway for sexual assault, whether it is the professors or the students performing these actions. Women are more vulnerable and are, often, the victims of sexual assault. This all deals with a man’s perception towards women: “Men often assume that the women will put up some resistance, and that this resistance is not indicative of their true feelings and desires” (Berger 3). Meaning men can be misled when a woman tells him to stop or that he is being too aggressive. Therefore, if their behavior is acknowledged, they can feel aroused by the powerless victim. This happens with men in power positions, such as professors or the head of a science lab. Professors in college are the key to furthering education, a career, and reputation. Students that build relationships with their professors succeed well after the course has been taken; meaning that not only does this further their education, but also their reputation. But not all students have a good experience with their professor, “One woman, a biology graduate student at a small Midwestern college, told MarieClaire.com that one of her professors grabbed her breast three times while they were reviewing an exam in his office. She reported the incident to the administration, but the professor wasn’t punished — only her reputation suffered (Webley Adler 212). Furthermore, making it harder for her to continue her studies and find a job in that area of expertise.
One of the many ways to build a science career is through field research. Young women expose themselves to this kind of research to broaden their interests in certain aspects of science. Field research is meant to take a scientist out of their comfort zone and learn about the community and cultural differences in another environment, but it can be uncomforting when a supervisor acts like a teenage boy that wants to experiment with someone sexually. One woman, Jennifer, was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and it was to go to a field site in Eurasia and study fossils regarding human evolution. Jennifer was sitting next to the PI or principle investigator one night and had the most uncomforting experience: “At some point, the lights went off. Almost as if on cue, the PI grabbed her and shoved his tongue in her mouth” (Webley Adler 210). Jennifer felt embarrassed, to say the least, not only because this happened to her, but all her peers saw the uncomfortable experience. For the next few weeks of her field research she was continuously harassed by her PI. Her reaction was to just “’politely laugh it off’” because she felt there was nothing she could do (Webley Adler 210). In other words, Jennifer believed that because she was in a different country and there was no established code of conduct, her problem would not be handled correctly. This mindset is, often, why women do not come forward about their encounters of sexual assault.
It is hard for women to come back from sexual assault in their workplace or field of study. In the science field recommendations are needed in order to move up in that area of expertise. Recommendations are, typically, given from a person who is ranked higher and would provide insight of a person’s skills and what they worked on in their field. The recommendations allow for the individual to move onto their next study or a new workplace that wanted this type of criteria. Sexual assault makes this an issue, how is a woman expected to get a recommendation when their boss is sexually assaulting them. This type of harassment makes it harder for a woman to move up in their studies without “offending” their boss. It also “can restrict women’s access to such learning opportunities” in the future (Shaw). Many women in the prime of their career face that because of the harassment they will not get the job that they had wanted since they could dream about it: “It was a sad moment…I had been investing so much for myself for so long, and then to have to say, ‘Well, that was all down the drain…’” (Webley Adler 214). This came from Sarah; she was studying for a Ph.D. in neuroscience; her encounter happened in the lab with the head of the department, in addition to this he was also married. Because of her experience, Sarah felt unwelcomed in the lab and her boss would, often, tell her to not come in. Sexual assault does not allow a woman to grow, it only holds them back from better opportunities they can face. It is also one of the main reasons why females leave the science field: “Experiences of harassment and assault not only have substantial impact on the individual professionally and personally” (Clancy). This can cause a set-back in key studies in the science field. But the female scientists feel they cannot move on from their experiences and this is the reason they do not pursue a career in that field. If they do pursue a career, the cycle of their abuse can continue.
Alongside this, many female scientists have not spoken up about their sexual encounters because of the male dominance in the science field. Sexism is another component to the science field, studies have shown that “female scientists receive less mentoring, are given fewer awards, are invited to speak at fewer conferences, and receive significantly less funding for their research” (Webley Adler 213). It is no secret that males have dominated science for hundreds of years. To compare there are not many known female scientists, and most major discoveries have come from male scientists. Female scientists are intimidated by male scientists as it is, being sexually assaulted by one brings a different aspect into the field of science. Studies have been done to prove that there are sexual assaults in field research and in labs. Most of which are females that are sexually assaulted and most of the encounters go unreported. In the surveys taken, over half the respondents disclosed that they were not satisfied with the results of reporting their assault (Clancy). Reporting sexual assault is not an easy thing to do, and it is worse when the victim feels unsatisfied with reporting it in the first place.
Most male scientists are high ranked and well-liked in their communities. It is hard enough, as it is, for a victim to come forward and talk about their assault, especially when it regards a well-respected male scientist that has contributed to the science field. Of course, many will disagree with the victim on the grounds that she put herself out there and should have expected this from what she was wearing or what she looked like. Victim blaming is common, women are more vulnerable and feel they are at fault when something happens to them. While it is true that society has created a seductive aspect about women, these women that are sexually assaulted did not ask to be for what they got. This kind of behavior has nothing to do with what she was wearing or what she looked like. Sexual assault has everything to do with a man establishing dominance and control. Men who feel threatened by their peers, especially women, are more likely to sexually assault a woman. Others might object that these women just want to get ahead in their career and do this by taking down the head of their field. But studies have shown that women are held back from being sexually assaulted, they deal with PTSD and are negatively affected by it (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2018). Each time an incident of sexual assault is reported or taken to social media they are bombarded with comments telling them to “get over it or learn how to take a joke” (Webley Adler 208). The victims get blamed for posting their version of what happened. Society shames a woman for hooking up with someone, but praises a man for hooking up with someone. It is not any different with rape culture. Furthermore, the woman is blamed for the problem the man caused.
To conclude, female scientists have been dealing with sexual assault for many years and have not spoken out until just recently. The science field is losing female scientists because of the problem of sexual assault and a male dominated field. Without women key aspects of science will be gone, new studies will be set-back. Meanwhile these women experience setbacks of their feeling lost in a community they once loved and praised. Most do not come forward due to the setbacks they already face based on the already male dominated community. The cycle of continuous setbacks continues until female scientists are no longer welcome into the field of science.
Works Cited
Berger, Ronald J., et al. “Sexual Assault in a College Community.” Sociological Focus, vol. 19, no. 1, 1986, pp. 1–26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20831382.
Clancy, Kathryn B.H., et al. “Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault.” Plos One, 16 July 2014, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102172.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2018. Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24994.
Shaw, Elyse, et al. “Sexual Harassment and Assault at Work: Understanding the
Costs.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 15 Oct. 2018,
https://iwpr.org/publications/sexual-harassment-work-cost/.
Webley Adler, Kayla. “Female Scientists Report a Horrifying Culture of Sexual Assault.” The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018, Sam Kean, Houghton Mifflin, 2018, 207-215.