Three Perspectives on Workplace Harassment of Women of Color

In this address, I suggest a framework for understanding the ways in which issues of race and culture play a pivotal role in what we have thought of as sexual harassment. This framework views an incident of workplace harassment from the perspectives of the three key players: the harasser, the victim and the judicial system. From the viewpoint of the harasser, women of color appear to be less powerful, less likely to complain, and the embodiment of particular notions of sexuality. From the perspective of the women, attitudes in their community and lessons learned in their culture may make it more difficult for them to respond forcefully to the discrimination. Finally, the judicial system\u27s perspective on both women of color and relationships between men and women of color often influences the outcome of such cases