Davis Vs Monroe County Board Of Education

1507 Words7 Pages

Smrithi Dhananjaya
Maddox
USIH
12 April 2018

Sexual harassment is not just a workplace problem; students also face sexual misconduct and unwanted behavior in schools. Laws put in place focus on workplaces rather than classrooms, making it hard for victims to achieve retribution. While sexual harassment impacts both men and women, most of the harassment is appropriately against women. The decision made in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education forces schools to control sexual harassment in classrooms and is crucial in the fight to increase female opportunity. Administrators do not adequately manage sexual harassment, choosing to ignore the problem instead of controlling it. Moreover, administrators often victim blame, holding the victims …show more content…

In general, people labeled as victims often feel guilty for being a victim and do not report the offense. In cases of sexual harassment between students, both classmates and administrators often victim blame the female in the situation. Victim blaming claims that women caused the harassment by dressing and acting inappropriately. “[These] judgements create an environment in which it becomes unlikely that the target of harassment will feel justified and supported in claiming her rights” (Chamberlain). However, sexual harassment “is a part of the larger framework of oppression that subordinates females to male in a complex, deeply enculturated patriarchal system of compulsory heterosexuality” (Chamberlain). In a male-dominated society, the oppression against women runs deeps. Women are forced to overcome many adversities in order to continue to progress in society. The decision made in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education shows that victims should not always be blamed. The perpetrators and the people that allowed the harassment should be punished. The decision helped reinforce the idea of fair judgements being passed without the need to victim blame. The barriers broken down in the fight to end sexual harassment were not possible without the support of a …show more content…

Laws help increase female opportunity by forcing administrators to control sexual harassment in classrooms. The decision made in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education is crucial in the fight to reduce the disadvantages in education women have to face. While the decision has lessened the prominence of sexual harassment in schools, sexual harassment still occurs inside and outside of the classroom. While the tolerance of unwanted behavior has dropped to a new low, it will take years before sexual harassment is stopped. With the end of sexual harassment, some of the oppression against women can lessen considerably. Only then will women and girls everywhere advance freely in