This paper explores the nature of sexual harassment as a subjective and multi‐faceted concept, one which challenges the meaning of taken‐for‐granted behaviors embedded in heterosexual interactions and relationships. Drawing on survey samples of 237 lesbian and 144 heterosexual working women, the study discusses the ways in which a woman's sexual identity affects her experiences and interpretation of interactions at work as sexual harassment. Four discrete indicators of consciousness about sexual harassment are employed: experiences and feelings about daily approaches, attitudes about the problem of unwanted sexual approaches at work, and recognition and willingness to utilize the term sexual harassment. The findings show that women have a great many physical and sexual experiences at work most of which they dislike; there is substantial recognition of the problem among working women. However, there is a gap between experiencing and disliking the phenomenon and applying the term sexual harassment in describing it. Further, women vary in the use of the label sexual harassment by the degree of social and economic inequality and powerlessness each experiences at her workplace; as a group, lesbians are more likely than heterosexuals to employ the term. The author suggests that further research concerning sexual harassment move beyond documenting incidents since by themselves they do not establish the basis on which particular situations in the everyday lives of working women come to be labeled sexual harassment.

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Introduction: Endometriosis is a burdensome chronic disease that can be difficult to diagnose, yet few studies examine experiences along the continuum of disease state. We sought to explore women’s journeys to an endometriosis diagnosis, experience with endometriosis pain, and interactions with healthcare practitioners. Methods: An anonymous 23-question online survey was distributed to women (aged >19 years) who self-identified as having a surgical or nonsurgical diagnosis of endometriosis and living in seven English-speaking countries through the social media network MyEndometriosisTeam.com . Results: From January through April 2018, 317 women in the United States and 134 women outside the United States completed the survey. More than 50% of the women waited 6 or more years for a diagnosis of endometriosis. Overall, 54.3% experienced endometriosis-related pain daily. Respondents (US/non-US) reported a significant impairment in quality of life that interfered with their family (45.7%/45.5%) and social life (40.1%/44.0%), education/career (42.9%/46.3%), and sexual function (68.1%/70.1%). Women reported their disease led to other conditions, including fatigue (93.6%), gastrointestinal issues (91.8%), and difficulty sleeping (87.4%). Many women were not satisfied with their practitioner’s ability to listen to concerns and felt that their practitioner’s treatment recommendations lacked consistency with their own goals/needs. Conclusion: Women still experience long delays and difficult journeys to an endometriosis diagnosis. Disease-associated pain is pervasive and has direct and indirect impacts on quality of life. Women are frequently not satisfied with disease-management options presented to them by their practitioners. These results suggest a need for improved medical education on disease state for both patients and practitioners.

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