Proposals to outlaw wolf-whistling are not the best way to deal with sexual harassmentBy culture and by history, the demands made on French women by French society are astronomic. They are expected to be beautiful, but in an effortless way. They have to know how to rebuke men´s advances but always with charm, wit and possibly even panache. They are inherently supposed to know how to play the French dance of seduction and be able to escape the unwanted embrace (usually from older men) with a smile and a pirouette. And never to complain: men´s interest in them is, after all, only a tribute to their great beauty and many qualities. And so the story goes...One should feel grateful to be the object of so much male attention, shouldn´t one? Here is a very French paradox, one in which President Macron´s government is trying to put some order, by legislating against street sexual harassment such as wolf-whistling. `A EUR20 fine would be a bit humiliating, EUR5,000 would be more of a deterrent,` recently declared Marlène Schiappa, the 34-year-old French minister for gender equality. Certainly, but should we go there? And is this really the best way to tackle sexism?Parisian cafe owners speak about their difficulty in hiring young male waiters who will obey female chefs´ orders Related: Senior French MP resigns amid sexual harassment allegations Continue reading...
|
