The chart above is from a recent Rasmussen Poll -- done on November 19th and 20th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.
The poll shows that 26% of Americans think sexual harassment has increased in this country. That's probably because we now hear about it more. I think they are wrong, and so do 68% of the poll's respondents.
The truth is that this country, since its establishment, has been a patriarchy. Men have held the reins of power -- and too many of those men have abused that power to sexually harass (and even assault) women. We are hearing more about it these days because women have been coming forward to tell their stories of harassment and abuse, and because the media is finally willing to report those stories.
But the fact that this harassment/abuse has always existed in this country does not make it right, and in no way justifies the actions of the offenders. It is something that must be stamped out. And it cannot be done just by women. Men still hold most of the power, and that means they must step forward to do the most to eliminate the problem.
In the final analysis, this is a gender equality issue. We have talked a lot about equal pay and equal opportunity for women, but the elimination of sexual harassment is just as important. As long as it is allowed to exist, there will never be true gender equality.
