Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
Sexual Harassment
There are various harassments that people go through. One of the most prominent ones is sexual harassment. Over the years, sexual harassment has been a significant issue for most businesses, organizations, and companies across the world. Many women have been subject to this unethical issue.
According to Hersch (2015), sexual harassment can be defined as any uninvited or unwelcome sexual advance, appeal for sexual favor, verbal or physical conduct or sign of sexual nature which may be anticipated or believed to cause wrongdoing or humiliation to another person. Sexual harassment may include several acts such as rude jokes, belittling comments, and other acts of physical assault.
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (2017), it was discovered that one-third of women have been sexually harassed in the workplace. Some of them have undergone this since the age of fifteen. It is vital to note that the effects of harassment in the workplace have far-reaching consequences. These effects can be categorized under social, economic and psychological impact (World Health Organization, n.d).
These include post-traumatic stress disorders, wearing off of support network at the workplace, reduction or loss of productivity, reduced morale at the workplace, loss of goodwill of the individual and the organization. The Marxist feminists indicate that the capitalist urge for profits is one that is responsible for putting women as second-class citizens.
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
Marxist Feminism
Over the years, philosophers have come up with different theories when it comes to the issue of feminism in the society (Lorber n.d). Through these notions, modern societies are informed of the shortcomings that emerge from the imbalances practiced in modern day society. According to Stefano (2014), Marxists feminism is a kind of feminist theory and politics that obtains its theoretical foundations from Marxism.
Most notably from the indictment of capitalism as a collection of structures, practices, institutions, inducements, and sensibilities that advocate for the exploration of labor, the isolation of humans, and the degradation of freedom.
For the Marxists feminists, enablement and equality for women cannot be obtained within the framework of capitalism. Marxist feminism is slow in trying to treat women as a stand-alone group with parallel interests and aspirations. Furthermore, Marxists feminism indicates that economic imbalance, dependability, political confusion and unhealthy social connections between men and women can be said to be the primary cause of oppression of women in the modern day societal context.
It is important to note that Marxist criticism that feminism is focused on feelings and attitudes can be said to be founded on what happens in reality (Mackinnon, 1982). Therefore, it can be said that Marxist feminism is one that illustrates that the subordination and suppression of women are aspects that do not take place naturally but are made to seem so to facilitate patriarchy.
Therefore, it is true to state that indeed, an imbalance in the society is one aspect that has led women to be sexually assaulted. This has been fueled by the fact that most women in society have not been accorded support or given the necessary facilities and chances to empower them.
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
Consequently, when women seek employment, they are seen as objects and are not seen as valuable entities to organizations or companies. Due to being looked down upon, they become subjected continuously to sexual harassment and this only demotivates them in their work and makes them less objective and focused on their area of work (Mackinnon, 1982). The Marxist theory of feminism seeks to correct this mistake by pushing for the equal allocation of resources and chances to both men and women. Through this, there would be more competition and improved productivity.
Radical feminism
According to (Pasque and Wimmer, n.d), radical feminism can be termed as the second most notable form of feminism. Also, they stipulate that radical feminists hold the thought that liberal feminist perspectives are not radical enough to address the vast array of personal, institutional, and general oppression that have emerged. They further indicate that radical feminism can be broken down into radical libertarian feminism and radical cultural feminism.
In this case, the libertarian radical feminism is based on personal freedom of expression and cultural radical feminism states that the main cause of feminism is the decreased value that men attach to feminine qualities. Miller (2014) stipulates that radical feminism emerged from the repercussion of the 1960’s concentration on liberal and Marxist feminism. The concept of radical feminism tends to concentrate on male oppression directed towards females both privately and politically.
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
Those who support radical feminism set a claim that the main problem is the subordination of women by men primarily in private and political scopes. This subordination is further demonstrated by the rhetoric that surrounds rape and blame on victims. In the period preceding, and during the 1970s, radical feminists were of the idea that rape was not a biological susceptibility among men but the socialization of men that painted women as objects (Miller, 2014).
On the other hand, during the 1970s and 1980s, radical feminists changed the state of rape in all states to illustrate the feeling that rape was not only an offense against those who were victims but also against all women. Radical feminism concentrates on the denunciation of the male-controlled thought that the private scope (for women) focuses on bearing of children, marriage, and housekeeping.
Therefore, indeed, it is true that the oppression of women is something that has been in existence for a long time. Due to the subordination of women, they do not get the respect that they deserve. When in the workplace, most male workers view women as sexual objects and not colleagues.
Such thoughts have led to the increase in sexual harassment cases in the workplace not only in Australia but also in other parts of the world. The theory of radical feminism is one that seeks to dismantle the thought that women should only be subjected to childbearing, marriage and upkeep of the household. For such elements to be overcome, it is critical for stakeholders to work together and eliminate sexual harassment.
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
Reference
Australian Human Rights Commission, (2017) Violence against women in Australia 2017, 1(1), pp.1-21
Gibbons, M. T., Coole, D. H., Ellis, E., & Ferguson, K. (2015). The encyclopedia of political thought. 1st ed. Malden, Wiley Blackwell, p.4360
Hersch, J., (2015) Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace, 1(1), pp.1-10
Lorber, J (n.d) The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender equality, 1(1), pp. 8-43
MacKinnon, C., (1982). Feminism, Marxism, Method, and State: An agenda for theory 7(3), pp.515-544
Miller, J. (2014) The encyclopedia of theoretical criminology, 1 st ed. West Sussex, Uk, Wiley Blackwell, p.1048
Pasque, P., & Wimmer B. (n.d) An Introduction: Feminist Perspectives, 1(1), pp.1-32
World Health Organization, (n.d) Sexual violence, 1(1), pp. 149-181
Want help to write your Essay or Assignments? Click here
