Sexual Harassment: Its First Decade in Court (1986), Written by Catharine Mackinnon, discusses sexual harassment and how women are being harassed at work. She claims that 85 % of all women have been physically or sexually harassed at their work place. Throughout the essay, Mackinnon points out many examples of women being sexually harassed and how the law is helping women take a stand against sexual harassment.
Mackinnon's main point in the essay seems to be about work place harassment. Mackinnon's goal is to set examples of women harassment and try to explain how women have a legal right not to put up with it. For example Mackinnon wrote, "If a women's work is not to sell sex, and her employer requires her to wear a sexually suggestive uniform, If she is repeatedly sexually harassed by the clientele, she may have a claim against her employer."(p. 305). In this example, Mackinnon shows how some women are taken advantage of at work and think they can't do anything about it. Mackinnon also brings up examples of women being harassed and keeping quit about it because they are scared to lose their job. The issue of power plays a big role in the way women take harassment. .
Throughout the essay, Mackinnon hopes to accomplish equality in the work place and teach women to speak out about sexual harassment. In the essay, Mackinnon brings up sexual harassment court cases, which help reinforce the main point that women get harassed at work. She also try's to say that sexual harassment is mostly done by the higher authority, like the boss or supervisor because they feel they can easily get away with it. I think Mackinnon accomplishes her goal of showing women who are being sexually harassed, that harassment shouldn't be tolerated and that they have the right to take action against there boss or coworkers.
Mackinnon's essay is written in an informative format with a subdued tone of persuasiveness, the tone scheme seems to work well.
