Greater gender representation in judgeships results in a legal system with more trust from the public, said women’s rights icon Anita Hill at a sexual harassment panel last Wednesday.
The panel, “Sexual Harassment: Law and Perception Panel,” featured three speakers — two in Moscow and one on live stream from Boise, who discussed sexual harassment law, public perception and contributing social factors. The UI College of Law hosted the panel with UI’s Women’s Center as co-sponsor.
Hill gained recognition after she testified in Clarence Thomas’ 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearing. In the hearing, Hill testified that Thomas, her previous superior in two federal offices, had sexually harassed her. Thomas was later confirmed by a 52-48 vote and is now an associate justice.
“I’m sorry you didn’t win, but life has to go on,” a seventh-grade student who listened to the hearings for a class assignment said in a letter.
And it did go on. Since Hill’s testimony, between 1991 and 1996, sexual harassment cases have more than doubled and awards to victims have almost quadrupled according to George Mason University.
One student thought the hearing was unfair because the male judges had a bias toward males, Hill said. She said the student’s comment taps into a broad phenomenon of men making decisions about women’s lives.
“Today we have three women sitting on the Supreme Court,” Hill said. “Overall, women make up about 30 percent of the federal judiciary — We are missing out, to a large extent, on our full understanding and appreciation of equality by not having more women in judging position.”
A lack of female judges will leave people with less confidence within a legal system, Hill said, because they cannot see themselves in it — much like the girl who wrote to Hill.
Underrepresentation is among other reasons that contribute to low reporting rates of sexual assault and harassment, she said. Only about 1 in 20 victims of sexual assault report to authorities, Hill said.
Another student wrote in 1999 about how she testified on abuse she suffered from her best friend’s brother.
“It was really hard, but I had to because I did not want him to hurt anyone else,” the student said.
When victims of sexual assault or harassment come forward about their abuse, they often do so to help others, Hill said. She said she applauded those who come forward for altruistic reasons, but said she hopes more women feel empowered enough to come forward for themselves.
UI Women’s Center Director Lysa Salsbury said the center conducted about 75 instances of crisis intervention related to sexual misconduct last year. She said she is unaware if it is an increase from previous rates. While they are required to report statistics on certain crimes to comply with the Clery Act, they do not give out personal identifying information.
Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @pfannyyy