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2018 GSA PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

There are, however, some easy solutions to propagating LOW Characteristically, women have learned to go along to get
rates of sexual harassment: along. They are much more likely to try to ignore or even try to
1. Establish a zero-tolerance climate; appease the harasser. They are non-confrontational. Women
2. Develop a staff that is less male-dominated, with a larger often mentally diminish the experience—saying to themselves
expression of female leadership. that it wasn’t all that serious. They choose not to attract negative
Many geoscientists think, “Oh, we covered this a long time attention; they don’t want to get the aggressor in trouble or are
ago.” “We have lots of women on our staff, therefore we are afraid of retaliation. Only ~25% report incidents. Or worse.
finished with this.” This cannot be “assumed.” This is a question In the University of Texas study, only 2% were found to report.
that needs to be regularly revisited. Gather fresh data. Reevaluate. Women of color report even less than whites. Fear of blame, dis-
And, importantly, use valid methodologies established by social belief, inaction, retaliation, humiliation, ostracism, and damage
science research. We, as scientists, know that when working on to career and reputation reign. These reactions affect women’s
a geoscience problem, valid methodologies are crucial. This is careers—where they might leave a leadership track to avoid a
equally true for data-gathering regarding harassment and perpetrator, or, leave the institution, or, even leaving their career.
institutional environments. Getting labeled a complainer is feared the most and harms or
One important aspect of our regular evaluations is to recog- ends careers.
nize and confront our biases. Most of us think that we do not Older generations—my generation, generations before me—
have a bias, but when we do the actual research, we find we do basically “lived with” abuse problems, developed defenses, suc-
harbor unconscious biases. Both men and women. cumbed, shut up, deferred, and tolerated. It was just the way it
Jackson Katz, a football star turned women’s studies student was. We definitely ignored or appeased. The risk for negatively
and author of the Macho Paradox (2006), likes to get data from impacting our careers was too high to “stick our necks out.”
his classes. He says, “I draw a line down the middle of a chalk- Probably some of you remember going to geologic conven-
board, sketching a male symbol on one side and a female symbol tions where there were two registration lines labeled
on the other. Then I ask just the men: What steps do you guys “Geologists” and “Ladies.”
take, on a daily basis, to prevent yourselves from being sexually And, we sat in on sessions where photos of scantily clad
assaulted? At first there is a kind of awkward silence as the men women were used jokingly for “scale” or to make some point.
try to figure out if they’ve been asked a trick question. The The audience would giggle or laugh or even applaud, whether
silence gives way to a smattering of nervous laughter. comfortable or not. Many men were not comfortable, lots of
Occasionally, a young guy will raise his hand and say, ‘I stay women (of course, there were NOT lots of women) were uncom-
out of prison.’ This is typically followed by another moment of fortable. But our reaction was governed by our need to fit in, to
laughter, before someone finally raises his hand and soberly be accepted, and being “one of the boys,” and accepting “boys
states, ‘Nothing. I don’t think about it.’ Then I ask women the will be boys” overruled our sensitivity. Our convention floors
same question. What steps do you take on a daily basis to pre- were populated with sexy, scantily clad women showing off the
vent yourselves from being sexually assaulted? Women through- latest in drill bits or geochemical measuring tools. Those days
out the audience immediately start raising their hands. As the are well behind us, it appears. But the changes in our meeting
men sit in stunned silence, the women recount safety precau- environment have still not eliminated sexual harassment.
tions they take as part of their daily routine. Here are some of I recall a couple of my own experiences and reactions. Twice
their answers: Hold my keys as a potential weapon. Look in the at different times, male candidates for president of a large
back seat of the car before getting in. Carry a cell phone. Don’t international geological association were inappropriate with
go jogging at night. Lock all the windows when I sleep, even on me. One would not keep his hands off me in a darkened meet-
hot summer nights. Be careful not to drink too much. Don’t put ing room. Then he followed me to my room that night and tried
my drink down and come back to it; make sure I see it being to force his way in. Did I show outrage and anger? Not at all.
poured. Own a big dog. Carry mace or pepper spray. Have an My first reaction was to worry about HIS feelings as I said no,
unlisted phone number. Have a man’s voice on my answering over and over. I was trying not to hurt his feelings! It never
machine. Park in well-lit areas. Don’t use parking garages. Don’t occurred to me to put myself first. I tried to be polite, to be
get on elevators with only one man, or with a group of men. gentle. It could have sent a message of weakness to him.
Vary my route home from work. Watch what I wear. Don’t use Therefore, I understand that the act of saying no, expressing
highway rest areas. Use a home alarm system. Don’t wear head- outrage, or reporting is indeed complex.
phones when jogging. Avoid forests or wooded areas, even in the Knowing that young men, even today, can be the subject of
daytime. Don’t take a first-floor apartment. Go out in groups. harassment makes me more chagrined to recall 40 years ago
Own a firearm. Meet men on first dates in public places. Make when I let my frustration about being asked inappropriate
sure to have a car or cab fare. Don’t make eye contact with men questions with job interviews get the best of me. I had recently
on the street. Make assertive eye contact with men on the street.” had an interview with the president of a small oil company
Creating awareness in men of what women face each day helps where he asked, “I see that you are divorced. If you remarry,
to build empathy and helps men put aside their personal bias. do you plan to quit?” Never mind that he, too, was divorced at
So, just as in a geoscience investigation, don’t ASSUME. Survey that time. I just smiled and answered, “No, of course not.” But
your employees, faculties, students: Get the data. Refresh the data. I found it upsetting. So, my frustration got the best of me later
Another question that always enters into this discussion: in the week when a young man that I had employed to do sum-
“Why don’t women report? We aren’t wimps, for god’s sake!” mer fieldwork appeared at my office door. Two weeks prior,

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