Military Sexual Harassment Essay

Most women in the military do not tell the officers of their sexual harassment. The reason why is because of the penalty that these women have to go through. Pershing stated that there are “two potential consequence of filing grievances” and the two are the “perception that nothing would be done” and “negative repercussion, including social ostracism and retaliation” (Pershing 16). Females are in a double-bind in this situation because if they were to tell that they are being sexually harassed then probably nothing would be done or they will get remarks on being sexually harassed. If women were to keep the situation quiet, it will be better for them and nothing bad will happen to them. However, they will still have emotional consequences of them being sexually harassed. In addition, a

There is no help for women in the military. They are just seen as objects to males. Lastly, most females do not have friends to talk to about sexual harassment. They are mostly “isolated” and “they cannot necessarily rely on one another for support and encouragement… they simply chose to ignore exposure to sexually harassing behaviors” (Pershing 22). This connects back to Frye’s birdcage theory because females are stuck in an environment with men and rules that mostly have gender roles. Women do not have control of what to do and that causes them to be quiet about sexual harassment. All in all, women quietness of sexual harassment in the workforce relates back to what Frye says that women are oppressed. These women serve in the military because of their own free will, but they are still caged in a barrier of being in an all-male environment and the double-bind of them having to either tell or not tell that they are being sexually