From the Vault: Anita Hill Sizes Up Sexual Harassment in 'The Nature of the Beast' (Jan/Feb 1992)
(and, once again, look how far we have NOT COME!!)
From the Vault: Anita Hill Sizes Up Sexual Harassment in ‘The Nature of the Beast’ (Jan/Feb 1992)
10/28/2021 by Anita Hill
To pay tribute to five decades of reporting, rebelling and truth-telling, From the Vault includes some of our favorite feminist classics from the last 50 years of Ms. For more iconic, ground-breaking stories like this, pre-order 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION (Alfred A. Knopf)—a stunning collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.
Anita Hill testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. October 11, 1991. (Wikimedia Commons)
The response to my Senate Judiciary Committee testimony has been at once heartwarming and heart-wrenching. In learning that I am not alone in experiencing harassment, I am also learning that there are far too many women who have experienced a range of inexcusable and illegal activities—from sexist jokes to sexual assault—on the job. My reaction has been to try to learn more. Perhaps the most compelling lesson is in the stories told by the women who have written to me. I want to share some of this with you. “The Nature of the Beast” describes the existence of sexual harassment, which is alive and well. A harmful, dangerous thing that can confront a woman at any time.
What we know about harassment, sizing up the beast:
Sexual harassment is pervasive.
It occurs today at an alarming rate. Statistics show that anywhere from 42 to 90 percent of women will experience some form of harassment during their employed lives. But the statistics do not fully tell the story of the anguish of women who have been told in various ways on the first day of a job that sexual favors are expected. Or the story of women who were sexually assaulted by men with whom they continued to work.
It has been occurring for years. In letters to me, women tell of incidents that occurred 50 years ago, incidents they have been unable to speak of for that entire period.
Harassment crosses lines of race and class. In some ways, it is a creature that practices “equal opportunity” where women are concerned. In other ways it exhibits predictable prejudices and reflects stereotypical myths held by our society.
anita-hill-sexual-harassment-the-nature-of-the-beast-ms-magazine-jan-feb-1992“The Nature of the Beast” originally appeared in the January/February 1992 issue of Ms..
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We are angry because this awful thing called harassment exists in terribly harsh, ugly, demeaning, and even debilitating ways. Many believe it is criminal and should be punished as such. It is a form of violence against women as well as a form of economic coercion, and our experiences suggest that it won’t just go away. We are angry because for a brief moment we believed that if the law allowed for women to be hired in the workplace, and if we worked hard for our educations and on the job, equality would be achieved. Now we are realizing this is not true. The reality is that this powerful beast is used to perpetuate a sense of inequality, to keep women in their place notwithstanding our increasing presence in the workplace.
What we have yet to explore about harassment is vast. It is what will enable us to slay the beast. How do we capture our rage and turn it into positive energy? Through the power of women working together, whether it be in the political arena, or in the context of a lawsuit, or in community service. Making the workplace a safer, more productive place for ourselves and our daughters should be on the agenda for each of us.
https://msmagazine.com/2021/10/28/anita-hill-sexual-harassment-the-nature-of-the-beast-ms-magazine-jan-feb-1992/
