With the #MeToo movement making a splash throughout California and the rest of the country, more women continue to come forward to report sexual harassment and misconduct by high-profile figures. Some of the cases involve situations from years ago, which causes some to wonder why the women did not come forward earlier when the supposed misconduct occurred. Turns out there are numerous reasons why females do not report, and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done around this subject.
Business Insider reports of recent accusations of sexual misconduct by the CBS chairman and CEO. Six women, so far, have come forward to accuse him of intimidation and sexual advances back in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the women say that as a result of their rebuffs, they were terminated or otherwise had their careers threatened.
PsychCentral discusses that being fearful of the consequences, such as being passed over for a promotion, job loss or inability to find other work, is a big reason women do not report sexual harassment in the workplace. This is especially true when the harasser is in a position of power. There is also the fear of not being believed. If the man (or woman) denies it, others tend to question the accuser and women do not want to go through the scrutinization.
Other women question themselves as to whether the event was really harassment or if they are overreacting. Shame also comes into play. Sexual harassment and assault can lead to the victim feeling as if she or he was somehow at fault and may blame themselves.
