Women see turning point on harassment
Americans agree misconduct must stop
Americans seem divided these days on just about everything but this: Sexual harassment on the job is a big problem, and it’s time for it to stop.
In a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, three in four of those surveyed — including overwhelming majorities of men and women, Republicans and Democrats, said the issue was a major one that needed real solutions. Fewer than one in five said too much was being made of a furor that has rattled Hollywood, politics, the news media and more.
“How many of our moms have had to deal with their asses getting grabbed at work and couldn’t say any- thing about it?” said Sophia Eckard, 25, an art teacher in Washington who was among those polled. “And now the tides are changing.”
Respondents said they were less likely to vote for a political candidate, even if they agreed with him on policy, if he faced a credible allegation of sexual misconduct.
Those surveyed said they were ready to use their votes and their pocketbooks to reinforce that point. By wide margins, they said were less likely to vote for a political candidate, even if they agreed with him on policy, if he faced a credible allegation of sexual misconduct, or to watch a movie or TV show if the star was under fire.
Those findings were underscored Tuesday when Democrat Doug Jones won the special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, edging out Republican Roy Moore in one of the most conservative states in the nation. Moore was accused of pursuing relationships with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. He denied the allegations.
The survey also showed signs of potential complications and conflicts. Six in 10 said they were inclined to believe the female accusers, not the men accused; just 5% were inclined to believe the men. A significant group — one in three women and one in four men — said they weren’t sure whom to believe.
There was no full consensus about whether the public focus and the #MeToo movement represented a watershed moment. Women by double-digits predicted that changes in attitudes and policy would last, but men split evenly over whether, when the spotlight fades, anything would really be different.
Raymond Cadei, 69, a retired judge in Sacramento, doubted the movement would forge permanent changes.
“Unfortunately, having seen everything I’ve seen, I have a feeling that while it’s significant, it’s going to be an issue for today, and then something else will pop up,” he said in a follow-up phone interview.
A bipartisan outrage
The explosive debate ignited this fall by reports of sexual assault by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has commanded the attention of millions of Americans.
“These days, you can’t get voters to agree on very much,” said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. “This call to action ranged between 68% and 81% among every age category, gender, area of the country, political party affiliation, race and marital sta- tus. That’s pretty powerful.”
Six in 10 say they would be less likely to see a movie or watch a TV show if the star faced credible allegations of sexual harassment. There was no difference by political party on that, but there was by gender: 65% of women and 53% of men said they would stay away.
Amanda DaSilva, 31, of Los Angeles who works in fitness, saw a clear line — on actor Casey Affleck, for instance, who has faced multiple harassment allegations. “I will not see Manchester by the Sea, and I think it’s disgusting Casey Affleck won an Oscar for it,” she said. “I’m not willing to participate in possibly supporting people who are morally corrupt in that way.”
Cadei, the retired judge, said he would still watch movies by Woody Allen despite allegations of sexual misconduct against him. “It’s a different thing to be in entertainment than representing people, a position of public trust (in office). That’s much more serious and important.”
Overall, 74% said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate if he faced credible allegations of sexual miscon- duct. Democrats felt more strongly about it than Republicans, although even among Republicans, two-thirds said they would be less likely to vote for him.
Nearly nine in 10 said the names of members of Congress who have reached settlements with staffers who complained of abusive treatment should be made public. Under the current system, many of those settlements have been made in secret.
An overwhelming 84% said members of Congress should be barred from using public funds to pay the settlements.
“Who OK’d that?” demanded Chad Dunlap, 42, of Wapakoneta, Ohio. “I’ve never seen that on a ballot for me to vote on. They’re using our money to cover their own misdeeds.”
That said, the business development manager for a roofing company worried that some men might be unfairly accused. “For me, each individual case has its own merits, but the news agencies are taking every accusation and running with it,” Dunlap said. “We’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. We no longer have that. We are guilty until proven innocent.”
How big a problem is it?
One-third of the women surveyed said they have had to deal with unwanted sexual advances on the job. By 2-1, they said they hadn’t reported the incidents to anyone in authority. Among those who did, 43% said the accused harasser was held accountable; 48% said he wasn’t.
Among men, one in four said they have had to deal with unwanted advances from a co-worker.
Younger women were much more likely to be aware of sexual harassment in the workplace. Nearly half of women
18 to 34 years old said members of their family or close circle of friends had been harassed on the job. That percentage dropped to one in four for women 50 to
64 years old, and to one in five for those
65 and older.
Younger women also were much more likely to report harassment to someone in charge.
That disparity may reflect a different standard among younger women about what behavior rises to harassment and to changing assumptions about whether employers are prepared to respond to complaints.