On Office Sexual Harassment

Use this forum to discuss the June 2018 Book of the Month"The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami
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lesler
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Re: On Office Sexual Harassment

Post by lesler »

It was character strength, as she had to tolerate terrible things for everything she has worked for. Unfortunately, this is reality for lots of people in the workplace, and I hope it continues to change.
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Post by KFree_Reads »

While I have not read this book yet I think choosing not to address sexual harassment is not an indication of weakness. It's a very difficult position to be in especially if the offender stands between your goals or future. The choice should be simple but often times it's not. Also this scenario is not limited to the workplace. Tolerating the situation is does not mean you welcome the behaviour, some women just feel powerless and often hope the situation will work itself out but more often than not it does not.
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Post by holsam_87 »

Zain A Blade wrote: 08 Jun 2018, 14:21 I found the author to be astute in her portrayal of sexual predators. The antics employed by Dr. Alberto Scordato to subdue his potential victim, Angela, were at times subtle such as alternating between putting her down and showing false concern; and at times his maneuvers were quite overt and physical. One thing's sure: none of it was lost on Angela. Understandably, it is not easy to ward off sexual harassment, especially if it's coming from a person who can make or break your career. Given her circumstances, do you think Angela's initial forbearance of Dr. Scordato's sexual advances to save her career is a measure of character weakness or strength?
I thought it showed a lot of her strength as a formidable woman. I was inwardly cheering when she kicked him.
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Post by Mouricia Allen »

It's never an easy thing admitting sexual harassment. It sucks that it is even a concern we need to have. I despise people who use their power to manipulate other people.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

This is a very relevant discussion, especially now that more and more victims are finally coming out to nail their oppressors. Many of those exposed are men (and women) who have been honored for various achievements.

Sadly, Scordato is not a rare specimen. I believe Angela did the best she could under the circumstances. But in reality, the victim usually remains helpless and ends up traumatized.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

As an Ex-HR officer we handle these situations a lot. It's honestly a big issue! Sexual bribe for favouritism and gain promotions is a common issue. I can agree to a lot answers in the above since If your work colleague who is trying to harass you is in equal states a work then it would not be an issue but someone who is in a higher position if will be difficult even though most laws support employees.
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Post by tkrapish »

I don't know if you could characterize the way Angela handled the sexual harassment as a strength or a weakness. She did ward off his advances, so in that sense she wasn't weak, but on the other hand she could have done more to leave the situation. I really did not focus on this part of the book too much because I was really pulled into the rest of the story, but it did make me think about the topic and wonder if Angela could have handled it differently.
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Post by bookowlie »

tkrapish wrote: 14 Jun 2018, 12:25 I don't know if you could characterize the way Angela handled the sexual harassment as a strength or a weakness. She did ward off his advances, so in that sense she wasn't weak, but on the other hand she could have done more to leave the situation. I really did not focus on this part of the book too much because I was really pulled into the rest of the story, but it did make me think about the topic and wonder if Angela could have handled it differently.
I also didn't focus on this aspect of the story. I think it was just a plot device for Angela to leave her job and be willing to work for Alex.
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Post by Zain A Blade »

I thought it showed a lot of her strength as a formidable woman. I was inwardly cheering when she kicked him.
[/quote]

Hahaha, very funny! :lol:
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Post by DancingLady »

I think her response made a lot of sense in her situation. On the receiving end, it can be hard to tell for sure what someone’s intentions are until there have been several inappropriate incidents. We would all like to think we would report someone right away if something happened, but there can just as easily be circumstances that would make it incredibly difficult that do so.
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Post by Rosemary Okoko »

Angela found herself in a difficult situation and considering that her job was at stake, she had no option but to act the way she did.
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Post by AWANDO OGUTU »

Sexual harassment is the most predominant form of harassment in any work place today. Employers are coercing their employees into sex for no good reasons at all. In fact, there is no justification for their actions at all. Employees are just turned into mistresses at work place. That's not to say employees themselves do not sexually harass one another.
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Post by Aohanlon86 »

Jillpillbooknerd wrote: 09 Jun 2018, 07:03 As someone who has worked in an office setting where we had one of our employees get fired for sexual harassment, I don't think her reactions were really a strength or weakness. It's very hard to report someone that is in power or directly above you. I was glad that Angela was able to get out of that situation without it being worse for her. I liked the way that the author handled everything about that.
I agree with you.
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Post by Poppy Drear »

I'm just glad to see a book that portrays this issue in such an open and honest way. So often, authors try to shove things like this under the rug - or worse, justify it by having the female character end up with her harasser. Everyone reacts to things like this differently, so I don't think we can really judge Angela's reaction in this scenario.
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Post by bclayton13 »

I agree with other posters in that it's difficult to choose one extreme or another. Sexual harassment from a superior is a nasty business, especially if there's a chance that reporting it could backfire. There are many factors at play, including the workplace environment itself, so choosing really depends on the situation. But I do think Angela's actions were commendable.
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