Women make up the backbone of healthcare around the world, and the Bay Area is no exception. An estimated 90 percent of nurses, and 70 percent of healthcare workers overall, are female. Yet the women who work hard every day to keep the rest of us healthy…
Victims of sexual harassment often don’t come forward right away. When they do finally report their harassment, a lot of armchair pundits are inclined to ask, “Well, why didn’t they speak up sooner?” There are a lot of reasons. Chief among them are: Humiliation and shame: When…
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) handed down a landmark ruling that many say is a bigger benefit to LGBTQ people than the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that granted same-sex couples marriage equality. In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that firing someone who is…
Have you been working from home lately? If so, like many other companies in this nation, your employer may be rapidly making adjustments to the way that they do business, particularly when it comes to holding conferences and meetings. They may also have quickly set up an…
One of the most frequently suggested solutions to the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace is to move more women into positions of authority. As supervisors, managers and executives, women might be in a better position to move a company’s culture in a direction that won’t…
Former Senator Tony Mendoza may have resigned his position in 2018 after a flurry of accusations involving sexual harassment, but his unfortunate legacy is still hanging over California. Another six-figure settlement has been made related to the senator — but it’s the taxpayers who have to pick…
One of the reasons that sexual harassers thrive in the workplace is that there’s never been any particular effort to track them. Indeed, since many employers are reluctant to admit that sexual harassment occurred behind their doors, many harassers can quietly move on to other positions in…
As of Jan. 1, 2020, California was set to ban forced arbitration in employment contracts — a move that was designed to keep sexual harassment victims from being forced to settle and stay silent after being abused. Critics have long said that forced arbitration clauses can end…
If it surprises you that the #MeToo movement is already a decade old, you probably aren’t alone. The movement — which is designed both to allow victims to show solidarity and to provoke beneficial changes in the workplace — only developed some of its biggest momenta a…
Have you ever heard anyone express skepticism about the damage done by workplace sexual harassment? For decades, the idea of a lecherous boss chasing a harried secretary around a desk was played for laughs — as if a little sexual harassment was just part of being an…
