FOOD CITY
National issues seen through the lens of San Francisco's restaurants
All Too Common: Sexual Harassment in the Food Industry
By Anthony Bailon
“He would describe the sexual things he wanted to do to me and what he wanted me to do to him, and that’s when it started to make me feel really uncomfortable”
Within the last year, sexual harassment in the workplace has been under the spot light and has gained a strong footing in mainstream media. However, the restaurant industry has arguably been under the most scrutiny with the industry having the most reports of sexual harassment than any other one, and the majority of these reports are from women.
According to a study by Cornell University, “A much higher percentage of female restaurant employees alleged sexual harassment (54%) than did women employed in other industries (32%)” (Employment Discrimination in the Restaurant Industry, 53).
Statistics from the Center for American Progress
The restaurant industry places women in a position where they are forced to please their superiors, who are mainly men that have a higher position or some seniority, which creates this atmosphere suitable for sexual harassment.
In the audio piece entitled, All Too Common: Sexual Harassment in the Food Industry, we hear the personal story of a survivor of sexual harassment who was hesitant at first to make a report against her assailant. Her uncertainty is not uncommon with many women fearing that if they do report sexual harassment they might face some form or retaliation from the perpetrator or management.
When instances of sexual harassment do occur in the workplace, victims have the choice to officially report their case such as to their management, human resources, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). However, according to a recent estimate by the EEOC about 75% of all workplace harassment go unreported.
This personal story, along with commentary from Title IX coordinator Leighia Fleming, sheds light on the steps and procedures of reporting sexual harassment, and eliminates some of the hesitancy that arises when reporting sexual harassment.