Responding to Sexual Harassment
Kendall Shafer
07Dec17
Readers: the following article is intended for a mature high school audience. Please use discretion.
With all of the recent sexual misconduct allegations coming to light, workplace harassment is on the forefront of our minds. The most common form of harassment is verbal harassment. It happens all the time in every industry. Since I’m deeply involved in hotels and restaurants, I’ll use the hospitality industry as an example.
Often in restaurants, back of the house (chefs) disrespect front of the house (servers) by making inappropriate jokes or threatening comments. For example, a chef once leered at me and asked if I would still be working at the restaurant when I turned eighteen. One time I changed into casual clothes after my shift, and a cook told me, “you know, you shouldn’t be back here in tight jeans. It’s like walking into a ship of pirates.” No matter the context, these things are not ever acceptable. Words have a profound effect, even if they’re “just a joke.”
Verbal harassment is so prevalent because it is easy to get away with and people are uncomfortable addressing the problem. Sometimes complaints are disregarded, and managers are scared to take action. Last summer, one of my coworkers reported to her manager that one of the chefs had been making her uncomfortable by making inappropriate jokes about her body. The manager told her, “anyone can smile and carry a drink to the table, but not everyone can cook a perfect steak.” Essentially, the manager was saying that the chef was more valuable to the company than the server was, so no action would be taken at that time.
We can see this pattern in many of the sexual harassment and assault stories in the media. While this is a clear and unavoidable problem, it is also important to remember that the media often manipulates facts according to personal agendas. As Christians, we should use discernment when we interpret stories in the news. The latest wave of the feminist movement would like us to believe that all the blame in sexual harassment stories should go to the evil, horrible, abusive men. Placing blame for sexual harassment is no doubt a delicate, controversial thing. I am not here to discuss who is at fault or to offer an end-all solution, because I believe that each situation is unique. It is never ok to demean another human being in that way.
We cannot ignore what the Bible says about how the genders should interact with each other.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, “Likewise, women are to adorn themselves modestly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.” Women are not responsible for the actions of men, but they are responsible for how they conduct themselves - in dress, speech, and actions. Likewise, men are not responsible for how women choose to present themselves, but they are responsible for their actions and words towards women. Ephesians 5:4 says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” As children of God, we should strive to always be above reproach. 1 Peter 2:12 says, “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”
In conclusion, there is no doubt that sexual harassment is a very big issue in our society today. Since we will all find ourselves experiencing or witnessing it in some form or another, we need to be equipped to handle it properly. Even though we may not be able to prevent every circumstance, we can take comfort in the fact that this world is not our home, and its problems are not permanent. We have hope, healing, and life in Christ.
