Job Discussion Forums

[miss-reece]

What are your opinions on the best countries/regions/cities for women currently -- particularly regarding safety, lack of sexual harassment, and general respect for female positions of authority?

Also, are American women more likely than others to experience harassment because of our country's contentious foreign policies these days?

Thanks in advance for responses . . .

[JDYoung]

I can't talk about any other countries but in my short time in China I have not seen any difficulties peculiar to women. I feel safer in the streets of Shenyang that I did in Vancouver. If there is any sexual harassment it is well hidden. I teach one college class that is unusual in that it is 15 males and 1 female. Most classes are much more balanced even in the subjects that continue to be male-dominated in the west such as engineering.

I'm an older woman in a second, or third perhaps, career as a teacher. I went through the whole era of bra-burning and militant feminism from the late 60's on though I was never part of the movement. In my former careers I was in traditionally male-dominated fields. I remember one place where lunch hours and coffee breaks were decided on the basis of sex. I remember one workplace that didn't have washroom facilities for women. I still managed to advance and earn the respect of my colleagues without losing my cool or sleeping around.

However, if you tend to see discrimination behind everything that goes wrong, I'm sure you'll find it here too.

[Wolf]

My female co-workers in Japan never had any horror stories to report. Some Japanese people might not have a realistic view of "Western women" (and you can write Hollywood thank you notes on this issue), but I knew women who lived there happily for years.

[denise]

No horror stories yet, but... still the sense that as a woman there are things that either I cannot do or that I will get odd looks for doing (which doesn't bother me at all--I make up my own mind about my hobbies, leisure activities, etc.--I just don't like the thought of contributing to any stereotypes/negative images--OK, I guess maybe it does bother me, then...)

For example--can I just wander into a bar by myself and order a drink? Can I go into a store and buy condoms or other "intimate" items? I've gotten both positive and negative answers to the first question, but to the second, I've been told that women just can't do that!

I never had any problems in the Czech Republic. I never felt unsafe in Prague--even walking home late at night by myself.

d