PwC sexual harassment victims given voice

FEMALE PWC EMPLOYEES who were recently the victims of sexual harassment have been given access to a website which will allow them to vent their frustrations.

An Irish feminist network has set up a website in response to several PwC male employees rating their female colleagues in an email – which later was circulated outside the company. The website is also open to all women who have been a victim of discrimination in the workplace.

Irish Feminist Network is not yet fully functioning however, there are details on the group’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Students from the Centre for Gender & Women’s studies at Trinity college Dublin set up the site which will allow women to blog about their experiences of sexism in the workplace, The Sunday Times reports.

Last month male PwC employees circulated an email with photos and a top ten rating of several female employees.

Madeline Hawke, one of the network’s board members, said: “It’s easy when you’re in a privileged position to see the humour in this behaviour, but when it’s relentless and you don’t ask for it, it really isn’t okay. These women were just going to work and their photos were for work – they were not pin-ups.

“This degrading treatment contributes to the under-representation of women in leadership, both in organisations and political environments. Women also have unequal pay. Why should they also be subjected to objectification?”

The feminist network hopes to become a registered charity next year.