Sexual Harassment at Work

The Epstein Files are the latest thing to show us what we already know - women get sexually harassed and assaulted at work all the time. It’s so common and so known that it is tempting to brush off the Epstein Files as old news or nothing new. But that would miss an opportunity to re-center women in these conversations - the people who carry this pain and this fear with them every minute of every day. The idea that a woman’s body is not her own is an idea as old as time - that she might bend, change, shrink to look or act a certain way either to be desired or not to be desired too much. And the Epstein Files are a blunt reminder of that fact. While many women are acknowledging this reality in the wake of the release - slow release - of the files, the men need to recognize and acknowledge this also. It impacts us all.

And it impacts the workplace. Women are incredible contributors and they can contribute more when they are not afraid of their impact. Women contribute more when they are not afraid of being seen as too much or too sexy or too loud. Women contribute more when they are safe.

Let’s alchemize the slow release of the Epstein Files. Let’s use this to remind ourselves that women at work must feel safe. Sexual harassment attorneys have a unique role in assisting victims of sexual harassment heal and get justice. They have a unique role in listening to those who have been sexually harassed and helping them find a path forward. They also have a unique role in holding employers who allow sexual harassment accountable. Let’s use the release of the Epstein Files for good - as a time to recognize sexual harassment is alive and well and must be addressed.