When Lidl came to Sweden in the early 2000s, there was some concern about their working conditions. Namely this (although others news articles at the time reported that some stores had introduced headbands rather than armbands.
I thought about it a week or so ago when I discovered that a local lingerie chain (Change) had required their store staff to wear their bra size on their name tags. It was supposed to be voluntary although at least one store had forced their staff to wear them. I can see the thinking behind this – perhaps you would like help from someone with the same size as you. But on the other hand, it does seem a bit of a violation of personal integrity. Men would (presumably) be horrified to be forced to wear tags showing their penis size if they sold underpants. So why should women be forced to show their bra size in order to work somewhere?
I also read a report this week that – between 2017 and 2022 – Uber US received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct every eight minutes. In the UK, 91% of women who had been harassed by an Uber driver did not report it. A UN Women/UK survey showed that 71% of women had been harassed in public spaces. In 2021, the charity End Violence Against Women reported that 50% of women felt unsafe walking home at night compared to 20% of men. A 2024 report by The British Transport Police found that violence against women and girls on public transport had risen by 50%. I am guessing that most cases are not reported, particularly with Uber. Perhaps women feel nothing will be done, perhaps they have normalised being harassed as part of life, or perhaps they are worried that taxi drivers know where they live.
One good thing about getting older as a woman is that you don’t attract attention in the same way. You become invisible. But you are also more vulnerable physically.
My heart breaks that we have not come further than this. I also know that, while most harassment and abuse is carried out by men towards women, there are women who abuse, violate and assault men. And the stigma of this is so great that much of this violence goes unreported.
I also think that in the same manner where it’s now acceptable to discuss serious illnesses such as cancer, victim blaming (at least here) is greatly reduced and people are empowered, encouraged and supported in reporting such things. No longer are new staff warned ‘don’t get in the lift alone with D’ ( as I was in 1997) instead D would have attended routine training about appropriate behaviour and then disciplined/dismissed/reported. I think we have to expect and welcome a surge in reports.
That is a really good point. Access to social media probably gives more people a voice too.
Absolutely
I stand with women against violence and firmly believe that we cannot argue it isn’t all men until it is no men. I was abused mentally, financially, sexually, and physically by my ex-wife but when I did report it the police officer who took me outside to talk to me told me that if I reported it again then I would be arrested “for my own protection”. Eventually I couldn’t take any more and left but women aren’t only abused by a partner. Any man committing crimes against women making them feel unsafe should be subjected to the same harassment from his peers. Until it is no men harassing women then it is our problem as men to clean it up because it is all men who have to suffer.