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What happens when women speak out against sexual harassment?

Niniane Wang worried she would be characterised as a “victim” not a “leader” after she went public in June about being sexually harassed by Justin Caldbeck, the Silicon Valley investor and co-founder of Binary Capital.

In the past year, a wave of stories have broken about sexual harassment by influential men, most recently and strikingly about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and assault on women in the film industry. Photo: AP

In the past year, a wave of stories have broken about sexual harassment by influential men, most recently and strikingly about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and assault on women in the film industry. Photo: AP

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Niniane Wang worried she would be characterised as a “victim” not a “leader” after she went public in June about being sexually harassed by Justin Caldbeck, the Silicon Valley investor and co-founder of Binary Capital.

In fact, the opposite happened: “People seem to respect me as a leader more than ever.”

In 2010, Mr Caldbeck, then at another venture capital firm that had invested in Ms Wang’s business, tried to pressure her into sex. The allegations, bolstered by claims from other women, triggered Mr Caldbeck’s resignation.

Ms Wang says the story has not harmed her profile as a tech entrepreneur. “On the contrary, many of my investors became more attentive, sending me referrals and giving me advice. Professional acquaintances expressed gratitude to me for causing firms to prioritise hiring female executives.”

When the story broke Ms Wang was 37, with a strong engineering record at Google and Microsoft and chief executive of Evertoon, a 3D animation company.

She notes: “If you have many potential investors to choose from, or many possible job offers as an employee, it is easier to report harassment. If one of them retaliates, you can switch to a different investor or employer. If you are dependent on one investor or one job, you would be stuck.”

In the past year, a wave of stories have broken about sexual harassment by influential men, most recently and strikingly about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and assault on women in the film industry. Some talk of a “tipping point”.

Sexual harassment — whether reported or unreported — can damage women’s careers by diminishing their confidence and enthusiasm. But unlike Ms Wang, women typically keep quiet, due to fears about not being believed, retaliation and harm to their careers. Others are legally bound to silence by non-disclosure agreements.

Gretchen Carlson, a former anchor for Fox News, who in 2016 accused the TV network’s then chairman Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, notes: “Women are still labelled troublemakers and worse. They aren’t believed.” Ms Carlson, whose book Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back was published this month, adds that women “have everything to lose in taking the risk to come forward”.

NO NEED FOR SELF REPROACH

Such fears have been entirely rational. One former City of London professional says that when she refused to have sex with her boss, she found herself cut out of work and blocked from moving. When she sought advice from a senior female partner, she was told to keep quiet. In the end, she left.

Research into sexual harassment of women in United Kingdom workplaces, published last year by the Trades Union Congress in collaboration with the Everyday Sexism Project, found almost a quarter of those surveyed had experienced unwanted touching (such as a hand on the knee or lower back).

Of the minority who did report the sexual behaviour, “very few saw a positive outcome. Nearly three-quarters reported that there was no change and 16 per cent reported that they were treated worse as a result”.

“The woman is exiled,” says Jennifer Berdahl, professor of leadership at the University of British Columbia. This is a particular problem in professions where social networks are important.

Kiran Daurka, employment partner at Leigh Day, the UK law firm, says victims often feel “scared and cornered”.

Unlike sex discrimination, which is systemic, harassment feels personal: “There is a massive loss of self-esteem.”

A recent study in the journal Gender & Society of the economic and personal effects of sexual harassment on working women looked at those in the early years of a career.

Eighty per cent of the women in their sample who reported unwanted touching or other forms of harassment changed jobs within two years (some because they wanted to avoid harassers, others because of dissatisfaction with an employer’s response).

This was 6.5-times more than normal workplace churn, the authors calculated. Some changed industry entirely, or reduced their work hours. The disruption in their careers caused significant financial stress.

Much depends on the organisation’s culture and line managers’ attitudes, says Heather McLaughlin of Oklahoma State University, who co-authored the study. “Many of the women we interviewed who ultimately quit their jobs told us that they were just as upset by their company’s response as by the harassing experience.”

Alison Smith, a former UK Liberal Democrat party activist, is proud that she spoke out about the alleged harassment she experienced involving Lord Rennard, the party’s former chief executive. While an internal inquiry in 2013 found there was not enough evidence for a criminal investigation, “broadly credible” evidence was gathered of “behaviour which violated the personal space and autonomy of complainants”.

The coverage and political fallout did not hurt Ms Smith’s job as a lecturer at Oxford university.

“My employers understood that I was speaking out because I was worried about the next generation. Luckily my colleagues were progressive people in progressive Oxford colleges.”

That might have been different in other sectors, she concedes. Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, has worked in the same industry, at Apple and Google. She says that a blog post this year by a female Uber engineer caused her much soul-searching. She had experienced harassment at work (she declines to give details) yet did not speak up.

The post, by the Uber engineer Susan Fowler, detailing the harassment and discrimination she had experienced while working for the ride-hailing app, triggered investigations leading to the resignation of the company’s chief executive, Travis Kalanick.

“We relegate stuff — push it down,” she says.

“We’re self-censoring. The threat that you’ll never work in this town again is bullshit.”

A female mentor had told her to “go and get another job”, as reporting the problem could “blow up” her life. “That is what women tell each other a lot — that it would blow up their lives.”

Prof Berdahl warns against self-reproach. “Very few women have the stomach to turn [harassment] into a campaign. Each woman has the right to deal with things how they feel comfortable.”

Discussions of harassment put too much responsibility on the victim, Dr McLaughlin points out. “Organisations have a legal responsibility to protect their employees from sexual harassment, and they need to take this obligation seriously.” THE FINANCIAL TIMES

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emma Jacobs is a features writer for the Financial Times, with a particular focus on workplace trends, business culture and entrepreneurship.

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