Separating Men From Women Isn't The Solution For Sexual Harassment In The Legal Profession
Lawyers need a wake-up call, but this isn't the right answer.
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The obligation should not be on women to avoid harassment, but on the profession and individual workplaces to stamp out these forms of misconduct. For example, organisers of work social events need to take additional steps to prevent harassment in those contexts, including by reminding attendees of the expected standards of behaviour.
— Kieran Pender, a member of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) research team, explaining why women in the legal profession must continue to socialize with their male colleagues in an effort to stop the normalization of sexual harassment and do away with the practice for good. According to the IBA’s recent survey on sexual harassment in the legal sector, 36.6 percent of women say they’ve been victims, with harassment being most prevalent for women in the 25 to 29 age group (19.4 percent), followed by the 30-34 age group (16.1 percent).
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
