Creating Shift in Power and Gender Dynamics in Professional Cultures: Combatting Sexual Harassment Through Interdisciplinary Education

The #metoo movement has taken our world by storm, and made the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and gender based violence in our workplaces both watercooler and dinner table conversation. As society reels from the daily accusations of assaults, attacks, and aggressions, we acknowledge that this is not a newly discovered problem in our country’s various industries, but an impromptu collective unveiling of a common cultural phenomena. Sexual harassment in the workplace was labeled as a form of discrimination decades ago, but here we are confronted with the reality that sexual harassment is still incredibly commonplace. Discriminations which have the potential to have a direct, negative effect on one half of our workforce must certainly have a dampening effect on vast swaths of our population. Drawing on scholarly articles from various business journals this paper will explore the history and current state of laws, policies and trainings designed to combat sexual harassment in our nation’s businesses. I will focus on an approach which aims to decrease gender based discriminations through leadership driven cultural change within our institutions. Because business leaders are being shaped through their college education, I will expand on the important role collegiate level education can play in proactively changing the cultural tides in power and gender dynamics in our institutions; particularly if we provide an interdisciplinary education to those who are seeking to become tomorrow’s leaders of industry. This paper encourages the development of an interdisciplinary course of study at the university level which weaves together Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Business programs for the purpose of arming our leaders with the skills with which to cultivate diverse, productive, professional environments where every person can fully and safely contribute