Everyday countless women throughout California suffer sexual harassment and sex discrimination on their jobs. This discrimination takes many forms: unwanted comments of a sexual nature; lustful and inappropriate stares; taunting and hostility; physical violence; lower pay; and fewer job and advancement opportunities. For many women sexual harassment is a form of torture that they suffer in order to bring home a paycheck. The cost of this harassment is extreme. Harassed women frequently feel threatened and battered emotionally, are unable to perform their job responsibilities, and suffer physical and mental injury. For some, the joy of life is lost when they feel trapped in a job they hate, and they are no longer able to sleep or find rest away from work because they know that they have to return to the job the next day.
Sexual harassment and sex discrimination in agricultural work is rampant. Many employers do little or nothing to protect women from this discrimination. Some employers fail to establish required policies for preventing sexual harassment and fail to provide required training on sexual harassment to all supervisors and employees. Other employers permit a sexually-hostile work environment to exist without taking steps to change the behavior of supervisors and employees. While other employers only hire men for higher-paying piece-rate or forklift work.
Unfortunately, many farm worker women find it difficult to fight this discrimination. Many do not know their rights here in California, or do not know how or to whom to make a complaint. Many fear losing their jobs or fear other retaliation if they complain. Some fear deportation, or fear how knowledge of the harassment might impact their partner, spouse or children.
 But conditions are slowly improving. In 1999, CRLA and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) settled a major sexual harassment case on behalf of a Latina farm worker that resulted in a $1.8 million dollar settlement. Since then, AWHP attorneys have represented dozens of women who have suffered sexual harassment and sex discrimination on the job. Increasingly, growers are learning that they cannot permit sexual harassment to exist, and expect not to get caught.
AWHP advocates provide outreach and education to farm worker women to inform them of their right to be free of harassment and to let them know how to complain about harassment. In 2007, AWHP advocates joined forces with the Southern Poverty Law Center, the EEOC and others to organize the first national conference to address the sexual harassment of farm worker women. |
