At Upper School assembly on Friday, students in Classes VIII–XII had the opportunity to discuss the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace with Rachel Blakeman P’20. A psychoanalyst, attorney, teacher, executive coach, and entrepreneur, Ms. Blakeman has grappled with issues surrounding sexual harassment from a number of different perspectives, including helping patients grapple with situations and their resulting impact, coaching senior executives to change their own behavior, and dealing with sexual harassment on a personal level.
After a brief introduction of the legal definition of sexual harassment and the concept of a hostile work environment, Ms. Blakeman talked about how power, gender, and pay imbalances in many workplaces can contribute to this persistent problem, and she shared stories from earlier in her career of instances when she wished she had spoken up about situations that made her feel uncomfortable.
Students were very engaged in the conversation and had many insightful questions and comments.
