Women standing together

By Kirsten Schmidtke October 10, 2020

Though women have come a long way fighting for equality, they continue to encounter men behaving inappropriately on a regular basis whether they’re in the spotlight or not. Where there are men and women together in the workplace, women are vulnerable to sexual harassment. Period. I couldn’t believe that over the course of the week, every women I talked to had an example of an experience where a man either tried to exploit his authority or spoke to her in an inappropriate manner in a professional setting. The problem begins with even the smallest of actions: a suggestive comment or “love tap” is considered appropriate behavior. It’s demeaning, it’s disrespectful and it’s only helping the problem.

When I wrote the first draft of this post I had considered myself lucky for not having experienced any type of confrontational sexual harassment. Upon further reflection, I realized how inappropriate the word “lucky” was to describe something that no person should ever have to endure. Women need to continue to support one another and not inflict judgement on each other. One of the best quotes I saw about the most recent public offense said that no one was fired because the company he worked for found out about his “misdemeanors;” they fired him because they found out. There are so many hidden stories among women and whether we share them with our closest friends or with the public, it is the first step in making a difference. As women, we have to stand together in order to move towards positive change. And by writing this blog, I’m taking my first step. Please join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Kirsten Schmidtke is the Business & Communications Director at Klas squared, where she creates all written content and copy while managing business process and strategy. Whether through styling or writing, she hopes to inspire women of all ages to find their personal style.