Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Law
The Unreasonableness Of The Reasonable Woman Standard: Evaluating And Reforming Sexual Harassment Jurisprudence, Richa Parikh
The Unreasonableness Of The Reasonable Woman Standard: Evaluating And Reforming Sexual Harassment Jurisprudence, Richa Parikh
CMC Senior Theses
The “Reasonable Woman Standard” was first used in the 1991 case of Ellison v. Brady and has been central in shaping legal responses to sexual harassment. However, as societal norms and understandings of gender dynamics continue to evolve, as we experienced with the #MeToo movement, this “Reasonable Woman” often fails to grow with the times. I argue that this “Reasonable Woman” fails to encapsulate the complexities of sexual harassment experiences across different genders and cultural backgrounds. In this thesis, I deconstruct the historical development of the “Reasonable Woman Standard,” analyzing its roots in the “Reasonable Person Standard.” Through a combination …