Is Sexual Harassment a Gendered Issue?

averyapro

I think that sexual harassment is a gendered issue. First of all, the dress code was put in place in almost every school because boys can't help themselves and they turn to sexual harassment instead of ignoring it. Boys see a girl wearing clothing that exposes a lot of their skin and they can't keep their eyes off and they get turned on and they want to have sex with the girl leading to sexual harassment. Also, on the news all I hear about is college girl victim of sexual harassment, college girl raped. I have honestly never seen a girl sexually harass a male. 

CYDdharta

How can sexual harassment be a gender issue in a society that allows gender to be a matter of personal opinion?

xMathFanx

averyapro said:

I think that sexual harassment is a gendered issue. First of all, the dress code was put in place in almost every school because boys can't help themselves and they turn to sexual harassment instead of ignoring it. Boys see a girl wearing clothing that exposes a lot of their skin and they can't keep their eyes off and they get turned on and they want to have sex with the girl leading to sexual harassment. Also, on the news all I hear about is college girl victim of sexual harassment, college girl raped. I have honestly never seen a girl sexually harass a male. 

@averyapro

First; Are you a woman/girl?

If so, have you ever considered that you have only experienced the world as a woman and thus are not as personally effected by the other side (i.e. some women, in some instances display questionable to inappropriate sexual behavior toward men)? Also, even living as a women, it should be very clear that this occurs on both sides of the aisle just as for me, a male, can understand the situations you are referring to.

You are attempting to establish a dynamic in which males (by-and-large) are chimpanzees while females (by-and-large) are angels. In reality, both males and females are highly flawed primates, the overwhelming majority of which are heterosexual and will be interested/attracted to the opposite sex. Men "hit on" women, and women "hit on" men. Now, this can sometimes express itself in a questionable to inappropriate manner, based on such factors relating to individuals--their Social IQ, how sexually aggressive they are, ect. ect. However, to single out one side and suggest that this is where the problem lies is highly problematic at best.

One doesn't have to look any further than how male celebrities, rock stars, ect. are socially treated to see that women/girls are easily just as capable of hyper-aggressive sexual advances and/or gawking that men/boys are. Am I to believe that this has escaped your notice? Also, you could go to any High School basketball/football game across the country and find a group of girls/cheering section openly displaying a rather high level of sexual interest in a one or a small group of males/boys on the team (Side Note: I used to play sports and was also a Security Guard for several years in which I would often do High School sporting events).

Now, anecdotally (since you cited your personal life experience stating, "on the news all I hear about is college girl victim of sexual harassment, college girl raped. I have honestly never seen a girl sexually harass a male"), I am a University senior, now in my mid-twenties, and I can tell you the types of "sexual harassment" that you have largely been citing is entirely commonplace toward me, many of my male friends, and other males I know of (at my age, it is generally understood that most people are not paired off yet (in the long-term, that is) and this "hitting on" the opposite sex is much more commonplace as compared to the "full-grown Adult" population). That is, I have often had my as' spanked/grabbed, girls intentionally brush up against you, at bars/when I used to go to parties girls come up (uninvited) and start grinding/dancing on your genitalia, touch my chest/shoulders/arms/legs (near my genitals)/ect. (uninvited), maintain very strong, sexually charged eye contact, "cat called", ect. ect. ect. Now, many of these situations listed (although questionable and in some instances begin to "cross a line") for the most part I view them as quite benign (and in some cases flattering actually--depending on what happened) would only consider it "sexual harassment (or the like)" under a few conditions (or else there is a large problem with "Crying Wolf"):

A) The situation was so unpleasant and/or highly repetitive that the male felt the need to let them know that they have personal boundaries, and then they still continued (e.g. if a girl touches a males chest (uninvited), the male lets them know that goes beyond their comfort zone, and then the girl still does it again, and again, and again, ect. (and other similar examples based on some of the situations I listed above amongst others)

B ) Something way too forward happened (e.g. they grabbed a males genetalia with their hand (uninvited))    

What are your thoughts on this?

joecavalry

I believe that sexual harassment is a non-gendered issue.

Sexual harassment happens to men and women, but most of the time it happens to women. Again, it happens to both genders which means that it is not a gendered issue.

someone234

It is pretty undeniable that men have it easier in life than women. I'm a guy and it's literally a fact. We are stronger, smarter, feel less pain (both emotional and physical) for the same hardship and unless we are autistic (which is more extreme in males than females when present) we lie better than them.

The issue is that the same level of teasing of a typical female feels about 3x harsher to them than it does to a typical male. This is why in any society throughout history the females have been easier to tame than the males (even matriarchal African or Amazon tribes had tamer females). They fear their reputation being tarnished and truly FEEL the image others have of them much more severely than males do.

You can try to counter me saying what about Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus but did you ever notice how they never lasted in their outlandish ways and conformed soon enough? Why are both of them no longer slutty party stompers? Females feel harassment and teasing much more severely than men do so naturally the ones who complain more often about the other gender teasing them in any shape or form are female.

I doubt that females tease men less than the reverse but the issue is that males are tougher and considered more tease-proof so even if they cry about it, schools only tend to police male-on-male bullying and even then they fail.

In summary, bullying and harassment in all shapes and forms are most likely occurring at an immeasurable rate but one which is equal overall. Since females feel things worse than males do for the same level of teasing and harassment, they are more likely to make it a bigger issue until action is taken.

billpassed

Sexual harassment has been done on men and women by men and women. This was not a rendered issue.

Fredsnephew

Sexual harassment is very trendy at the moment. So there is plenty of profit to be made out of it.
People will eventually get bored and it's popularity and value will diminish.
We will then move on to the next big thing.
Such is the tedium of a conceptual existence.