TEDWomen 2017
Gretchen Carlson: How we can end sexual harassment at work
Filmed:
Readability: 3.7
1,593,788 views
When Gretchen Carlson spoke out about her experience of workplace sexual harassment, it inspired women everywhere to take their power back and tell the world what happened to them. In a remarkable, fierce talk, she tells her story -- and identifies three specific things we can all do to create safer places to work. "We will no longer be underestimated, intimidated or set back," Carlson says. "We will stand up and speak up and have our voices heard. We will be the women we were meant to be."
Gretchen Carlson - TV journalist, women's empowerment advocate
Gretchen Carlson is a tireless advocate for workplace equality and women's empowerment. Full bio
Gretchen Carlson is a tireless advocate for workplace equality and women's empowerment. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
"All I wanted was
a much-deserved promotion,
a much-deserved promotion,
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and he told me to 'Get up on the desk
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and spread 'em.'"
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"All the men in my office
wrote down on a piece of paper
wrote down on a piece of paper
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the sexual favors
that I could do for them.
that I could do for them.
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All I had asked for
was an office with a window."
was an office with a window."
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"I asked for his advice about how
I could get a bill out of committee;
I could get a bill out of committee;
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he asked me if I brought my kneepads."
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Those are just a few
of the horrific stories
of the horrific stories
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that I heard from women
over the last year,
over the last year,
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as I've been investigating
workplace sexual harassment.
workplace sexual harassment.
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And what I found out
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is that it's an epidemic across the world.
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It's a horrifying reality
for millions of women,
for millions of women,
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when all they want to do every day
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is go to work.
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Sexual harassment doesn't discriminate.
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You can wear a skirt,
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hospital scrubs,
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army fatigues.
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You can be young or old,
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married or single,
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black or white.
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You can be a Republican,
a Democrat or an Independent.
a Democrat or an Independent.
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I heard from so many women:
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police officers,
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members of our military,
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financial assistants,
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actors, engineers, lawyers,
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bankers, accountants, teachers ...
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journalists.
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Sexual harassment, it turns out,
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is not about sex.
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It's about power,
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and about what somebody does to you
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to try and take away your power.
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And I'm here today
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to encourage you to know
that you can take that power back.
that you can take that power back.
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(Applause)
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02:07
On July 6, 2016,
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I jumped off a cliff all by myself.
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It was the scariest moment of my life;
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an excruciating choice to make.
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I fell into an abyss all alone,
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not knowing what would be below.
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But then, something miraculous
started to happen.
started to happen.
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Thousands of women
started reaching out to me
started reaching out to me
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to share their own stories
of pain and agony and shame.
of pain and agony and shame.
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They told me that I became their voice --
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they were voiceless.
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And suddenly, I realized
that even in the 21st century,
that even in the 21st century,
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every woman still has a story.
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Like Joyce,
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a flight attendant supervisor
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whose boss, in meetings every day,
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would tell her about the porn
that he'd watched the night before
that he'd watched the night before
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while drawing penises on his notepad.
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She went to complain.
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She was called "crazy" and fired.
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Like Joanne, Wall Street banker.
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Her male colleagues would call her
that vile c-word every day.
that vile c-word every day.
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She complained --
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labeled a troublemaker,
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never to do another
Wall Street deal again.
Wall Street deal again.
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Like Elizabeth, an army officer.
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Her male subordinates would wave
one-dollar bills in her face,
one-dollar bills in her face,
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and say, "Dance for me!"
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And when she went to complain to a major,
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he said, "What? Only one dollar?
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You're worth at least five or ten!"
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After reading,
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replying to all
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and crying over all of these emails,
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I realized I had so much work to do.
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Here are the startling facts:
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one in three women -- that we know of --
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have been sexually harassed
in the workplace.
in the workplace.
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Seventy-one percent of those incidences
never get reported.
never get reported.
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Why?
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Because when women come forward,
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they're still called liars
and troublemakers
and troublemakers
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and demeaned and trashed
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and demoted and blacklisted
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and fired.
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Reporting sexual harassment can be,
in many cases, career-ending.
in many cases, career-ending.
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Of all the women that reached out to me,
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almost none are still today working
in their chosen profession,
in their chosen profession,
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and that is outrageous.
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I, too, was silent in the beginning.
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It happened to me at the end
of my year as Miss America,
of my year as Miss America,
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when I was meeting with
a very high-ranking TV executive
a very high-ranking TV executive
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in New York City.
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I thought he was helping me
throughout the day,
throughout the day,
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making a lot of phone calls.
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We went to dinner,
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and in the back seat of a car,
he suddenly lunged on top of me
he suddenly lunged on top of me
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and stuck his tongue down my throat.
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I didn't realize that to "get
into the business" -- silly me --
into the business" -- silly me --
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he also intended to get into my pants.
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And just a week later,
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when I was in Los Angeles
meeting with a high-ranking publicist,
meeting with a high-ranking publicist,
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it happened again.
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Again, in a car.
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And he took my neck in his hand,
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and he shoved my head
so hard into his crotch,
so hard into his crotch,
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I couldn't breathe.
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These are the events that suck the life
out of all of your self-confidence.
out of all of your self-confidence.
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These are the events that, until recently,
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I didn't even call assault.
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And this is why we have
so much work to do.
so much work to do.
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After my year as Miss America,
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I continued to meet
a lot of well-known people,
a lot of well-known people,
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including Donald Trump.
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When this picture was taken in 1988,
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nobody could have ever predicted
where we'd be today.
where we'd be today.
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(Laughter)
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Me, fighting to end sexual
harassment in the workplace;
harassment in the workplace;
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he, president of the United States
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in spite of it.
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And shortly thereafter, I got
my first gig in television news
my first gig in television news
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in Richmond, Virginia.
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Check out that confident smile
with the bright pink jacket.
with the bright pink jacket.
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Not so much the hair.
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(Laughter)
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I was working so hard to prove
that blondes have a lot of brains.
that blondes have a lot of brains.
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But ironically, one of the first
stories I covered
stories I covered
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was the Anita Hill hearings
in Washington, DC.
in Washington, DC.
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And shortly thereafter,
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I, too, was sexually harassed
in the workplace.
in the workplace.
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I was covering a story in rural Virginia,
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and when we got back into the car,
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my cameraman started saying to me,
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wondering how much I had enjoyed
when he touched my breasts
when he touched my breasts
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when he put the microphone on me.
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And it went downhill from there.
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I was bracing myself
against the passenger door --
against the passenger door --
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this was before cellphones.
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I was petrified.
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I actually envisioned myself
rolling outside of that door
rolling outside of that door
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as the car was going 50 miles per hour
like I'd seen in the movies,
like I'd seen in the movies,
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and wondering how much it would hurt.
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When the story about
Harvey Weinstein came to light --
Harvey Weinstein came to light --
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one the most well-known
movie moguls in all of Hollywood --
movie moguls in all of Hollywood --
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the allegations were horrific.
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But so many women came forward,
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and it made me realize
what I had done meant something.
what I had done meant something.
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(Applause)
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He had such a lame excuse.
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He said he was a product
of the '60s and '70s,
of the '60s and '70s,
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and that that was the culture then.
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Yeah, that was the culture then,
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and unfortunately, it still is.
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Why?
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Because of all the myths
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that are still associated
with sexual harassment.
with sexual harassment.
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"Women should just take another job
and find another career."
and find another career."
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Yeah, right.
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Tell that to the single mom
working two jobs,
working two jobs,
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trying to make ends meet,
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who's also being sexually harassed.
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"Women --
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they bring it on themselves."
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By the clothes that we wear
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and the makeup that we put on.
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Yeah, I guess those hoodies
that Uber engineers wear in Silicon Valley
that Uber engineers wear in Silicon Valley
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are just so provocative.
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"Women make it up."
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Yeah, because it's so fun and rewarding
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to be demeaned and taken down.
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I would know.
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"Women bring these claims
because they want to be famous and rich."
because they want to be famous and rich."
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Our own president said that.
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I bet Taylor Swift,
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one of the most well-known
and richest singers in the world,
and richest singers in the world,
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didn't need more money or fame
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when she came forward
with her groping case
with her groping case
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for one dollar.
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And I'm so glad she did.
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Breaking news:
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the untold story about women
and sexual harassment in the workplace:
and sexual harassment in the workplace:
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women just want a safe, welcoming
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and harass-free environment.
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That's it.
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(Applause)
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So how do we go about
getting our power back?
getting our power back?
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I have three solutions.
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Number one:
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we need to turn bystanders
and enablers into allies.
and enablers into allies.
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Ninety-eight percent of United States
corporations right now
corporations right now
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have sexual harassment training policies.
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Seventy percent have prevention programs.
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But still, overwhelmingly,
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bystanders and witnesses
don't come forward.
don't come forward.
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In 2016,
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the Harvard Business Review
called it the "bystander effect."
called it the "bystander effect."
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And yet -- remember 9/11.
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Millions of times we've heard,
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"If you see something,
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say something."
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Imagine how impactful that would be
if we carried that through
if we carried that through
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to bystanders in the workplace
regarding sexual harassment --
regarding sexual harassment --
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to recognize and interrupt
these incidences;
these incidences;
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to confront the perpetrators
to their face;
to their face;
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to help and protect the victims.
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This is my shout-out to men:
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we need you in this fight.
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And to women, too --
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enablers to allies.
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Number two:
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change the laws.
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How many of you out there know
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whether or not you have
a forced arbitration clause
a forced arbitration clause
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in your employment contract?
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Not a lot of hands.
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And if you don't know, you should,
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and here's why.
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TIME Magazine calls it,
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right there on the screen,
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"The teeny tiny little print in contracts
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that keeps sexual
harassment claims unheard."
harassment claims unheard."
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Here's what it is.
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Forced arbitration takes away
your Seventh Amendment right
your Seventh Amendment right
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to an open jury process.
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It's secret.
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You don't get the same
witnesses or depositions.
witnesses or depositions.
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In many cases, the company
picks the arbitrator for you.
picks the arbitrator for you.
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There are no appeals,
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and only 20 percent of the time
does the employee win.
does the employee win.
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But again, it's secret,
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so nobody ever knows what happened to you.
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This is why I've been
working so diligently
working so diligently
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on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
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to change the laws.
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And here's what I tell the Senators:
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sexual harassment is apolitical.
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Before somebody harasses you,
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they don't ask you if you're
a Republican or Democrat first.
a Republican or Democrat first.
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They just do it.
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And this is why we should all care.
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Number three:
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be fierce.
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It starts when we stand tall,
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and we build that self-confidence.
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And we stand up and we speak up,
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and we tell the world what happened to us.
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I know it's scary,
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but let's do it for our kids.
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Let's stop this for the next generations.
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I know that I did it for my children.
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They were paramount in my decision-making
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about whether or not I would come forward.
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My beautiful children,
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my 12-year-old son, Christian,
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my 14-year-old daughter, Kaia.
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And boy, did I underestimate them.
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The first day of school last year
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happened to be the day
my resolution was announced,
my resolution was announced,
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and I was so anxious
about what they would face.
about what they would face.
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My daughter came home
from school and she said,
from school and she said,
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"Mommy, so many people asked me
what happened to you over the summer."
what happened to you over the summer."
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Then she looked at me in the eyes
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and she said, "And mommy,
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I was so proud
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to say that you were my mom."
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And two weeks later,
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when she finally found the courage
to stand up to two kids
to stand up to two kids
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who had been making her life miserable,
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she came home to me and she said,
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"Mommy, I found the courage to do it
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because I saw you do it."
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(Applause)
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You see, giving the gift
of courage is contagious.
of courage is contagious.
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And I hope that my journey
has inspired you,
has inspired you,
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because right now, it's the tipping point.
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We are watching history happen.
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More and more women
are coming forward and saying,
are coming forward and saying,
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"Enough is enough."
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(Applause)
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Here's my one last plea to companies.
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Let's hire back all those women
whose careers were lost
whose careers were lost
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because of some random jerk.
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Because here's what I know about women:
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we will not longer be underestimated,
intimidated or set back;
intimidated or set back;
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we will not be silenced
by the ways of the establishment
by the ways of the establishment
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or the relics of the past.
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No.
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We will stand up and speak up
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and have our voices heard.
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We will be the women we were meant to be.
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And above all,
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we will always be fierce.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gretchen Carlson - TV journalist, women's empowerment advocateGretchen Carlson is a tireless advocate for workplace equality and women's empowerment.
Why you should listen
Named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2017, Gretchen Carlson is one of the nation's most highly acclaimed journalists and a warrior for women. In 2016, Carlson became the face of sexual harassment in the workplace after her lawsuit against Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes paved the way for thousands of other women facing harassment to tell their stories. Carlson's advocacy put her on the cover of TIME, and her new book, Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, joined the New York Times best-seller list the week it was published. She became a columnist for TIME's online "Motto" newsletter in 2017, focusing on gender and empowerment issues.
Carlson's ongoing work on behalf of women includes advocating for arbitration reform on Capitol Hill; in 2018, she plans to testify before Congress about workplace inequality and forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts. Carlson also created the Gift of Courage Fund and the Gretchen Carlson Leadership Initiative to support empowerment, advocacy and anti-harassment programs for girls and underserved women.
Carlson hosted "The Real Story" on Fox News for three years; co-hosted "Fox and Friends" for seven years; and in her first book, Getting Real, became a national best-seller. She co-hosted "The Saturday Early Show" for CBS in 2000 and served as a CBS News correspondent covering stories including Geneoa's G-8 Summit, Timothy McVeigh’s execution, 9/11 from the World Trade Center and the Bush-Gore election. She started her reporting career in Richmond, Virginia, then served as an anchor and reporter in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dallas, where she produced and reported a 30-part series on domestic violence that won several national awards.
An honors graduate of Stanford University, Carlson was valedictorian of her high school class and studied at Oxford University in England. A child prodigy on the violin, she performed as a soloist with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra at age 13, and in 1989, became the first classical violinist to win the Miss America crown.
Ever grateful for the opportunities provided to her and imbued with a "never give up" attitude, Carlson has mentored dozens of young women throughout her career. She serves as a national trustee for the March of Dimes, a member of the board of directors for the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown, Connecticut and a trustee of Greenwich Academy, an all-girls preparatory day school in Greenwich, Connecticut. Carlson is married to sports agent Casey Close and mom to their two children.
Gretchen Carlson | Speaker | TED.com