Sexual Harassment in North Country Essay

In the film North Country, Josey and her co-workers were sexually harassed. After being abused by her ex-husband, Josey moved back in with her parents in northern Minnesota. She tried to earn money through hair dressing but that all changed when her friend Glory told her about the mine. Josey was informed that it paid six times more than her current salary she had to take the job. She started after a pregnancy test that was required for all women. Her co-workers had been working for the iron mine for multiple years. During their time working they got harassed everyday by the male workers. This sexual harassment included physical harm, uncomfortable situations, and degrading of the women. After an extended period of time, Josey quit due to the work environment. Josey then found a lawyer to sue the mine under a class action suit. Josey was able to convince more than three plaintiffs to join her class action in the court room. As a result, the mine lost the case and was forced to pay for their suffering and establish a sexual harassment policy for the workplace. Sexual harassment became a reoccurring theme in the mine. Sexual harassment can be defined as unwanted sexual advances. There are two types of sexual harassment, quid pro quo or hostile work environment. Quid pro quo occurs when something of value is exchanged for sexual favors. Hostile work environment is one that produces sexual harassment because of a climate or culture that is punitive toward people of a different gender. Hostile work environment was more prevalent in North Country. Josey and the other workers walked in to work every day to find their locker room filled with sexual harassment. Included in their locker room were verbal attacks calling the women degrading names. After the men created the uncomfortable environment, they would make the women clean the locker room. Once the mess was sanitary, the women would enter the...

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