Assignment 8

One form of workplace inequality discussed in the readings is sexual harassment. In the article 9to5: Organizing Low-Wage Women (Bravo et al. 2008) it’s discussed how after the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991, many women called in about sexual harassment. These calls came from women who had experienced sexual harassment up to many years before ever telling anybody. One woman even said, “I’ve never told anyone before. I thought that’s just what you had to put up with” (199). The women were finally finding it within themselves to open up about these issues they had just accepted before, and this came from the hope given to them that it was okay and important for them to disclose this information. The organization 9to5 took action and developed a hotline that they promoted in order to get more women to learn about 9to5 and how they can get involved. This is important because many issues were continually arising, so the growth of 9to5 was key to continuing to make changes and progress. One of the groups main policy areas was to make efforts towards strengthening pay equity and sexual harassment laws (199). These efforts lead to greater awareness, state law protection in multiple areas, and positive changes within the workforce for women.