Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

broadly.vice.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 402 posts

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#51

Post by masklinn »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #26

this: > Universities, Mia notes, have protocols for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment seems part of the problem. sexual harassment should be a 'go straight to police' offence, not a hr reprimand. if the problem is as widespread as it's made in the article, it cannot correct from within.

> not a hr reprimand.

Not to mention chance as good that the victim will get reprimanded as the culprit. HR's purpose, whether it's in universities or in private companies, is to protect the employer. That's who pays their bills and that's who gives the orders.

If a complaint makes the employer look bad and the easiest way to make it go away is to sink the victim, that's exactly what HR will do.

The only department less moral than HR is internal affairs, and most companies don't get to have one.

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#52

Post by [deleted] »

DarkContinent wrote: post #8

In the present day and age, where PhD supervisors are given massive amounts of power over their graduate students, such incidents are all too commonplace. Put more institutional safeguards on the process of awarding doctoral degrees to protect both sides of the inequality.

[deleted]

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#53

Post by fweespee_ch »

sqldba wrote: post #4

It sounds terrible. And yet working in he unrelated field of IT I haven't seen it. I have seen a bunch of assholes in high positions though and have to put up with their idiotic demands and abuse. So when I read these articles I wonder if it's the same people and how they translate treating male workers like garbage into treating female workers like garbage. It's not misogyny; it's welcome to the workforce and dealin…

> So when I read these articles I wonder if it's the same people and how they translate treating male workers like garbage into treating female workers like garbage. It's not misogyny; it's welcome to the workforce and dealing with people above you who are neither competent not deserving of their positions and their power trips and borderline psychopathy.

I think what the issue is when it comes to the male boss/female employee dynamic is those power trips frequently take on a sexual dynamic in private.

> What do you think? Or are there really nice bosses who are just complete assholes to women with zero crossover?

I know one manager I used to work with who seemed nice but literally every single hire he has made has been an asian female.

He also was the only one besides me with an office with essentially no windows. [i.e. You close the door, no one can see in.] However, I never close my door for that reason while he does so all the time.

I think that was a lawsuit waiting to happen and I've said as much. However, my concerns were basically ignored since the one who confided in me that he does that sort of thing was terrified of losing her job since this was the third job she has had in 2 years [She is extremely attractive and had a similar problem at the previous jobs she got out of college]. She started carrying pepper spray instead.

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#54

Post by Chris2048 »

kelukelugames wrote: post #16
bunnymancer wrote: post #2

Yet people find it hard to understand why some people might be somewhat offended by a shirt with scantily clad women during a press conference. Things do not happen in a vacuum and pretending like nothing is wrong isn't going to help anyone get anywhere.

In a forum dominated by men, under-socialized men because they have few female co workers, there is a lack of understanding and sympathy for anything less than groping. Last time I was on here, HN users defended their right to make dick jokes in the work place.

Under-socialized men? Sorry, but who are you to judge exactly? Super-socialised I assume?

> Last time I was on here, HN users defended their right to make dick jokes in the work place.

So, the place isn't an echo chamber of your own opinions? "HN users" differ in their opinions, all healthy online communities should.

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#55

Post by rokhayakebe »

cmdrfred wrote: post #24
ainiriand wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A shirt that depicts women as objects or objectized women is just plain wrong. I do not care about the celebration.

Your right lets throw a blanket over Michelangelo's David and head home to our safe spaces.

You make a good point. There is a lot of art out there about naked men and women and no one cares.

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#56

Post by vkou »

mooseburger wrote: post #25
kelukelugames wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a forum dominated by men, under-socialized men because they have few female co workers, there is a lack of understanding and sympathy for anything less than groping. Last time I was on here, HN users defended their right to make dick jokes in the work place.

Dick jokes in the workplace are ok. Serious question, why wouldn't they be?

They aren't if someone has a problem with them.

Because there are plenty of jokes you can tell that don't refer to genitalia?

Re: For Female Astronomers, Sexual Harassment Is a Constant Nightmare

#58

Post by artpepper »

This is why any talk about women being "naturally" less gifted at hard science, or naturally drawn to other fields, is B.S. You'd have to get to a level playing field first, before you could even evaluate that type of claim. (Neil deGrasse Tyson has made this same point.)
Post reply on HN