SCOTUS Narrowly and Cluelessly Defines Workplace Discrimination

I'm heartbroken over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to narrowly define workplace discrimination charges exclusively to the person who hires and fires, not those who directly interact with an employee, i.e., coworkers and immediate supervisors.

As Justice Elena Kagan pointed out, this decision means that a professor could abuse a secretary and not be charged.

Does this decision throw out the illegality of creating a hostile work environment? When young men tell a young woman in a male-dominated, hard-hat type of work environment that she can't ride in "their" truck, even though the truck belongs to the University of Iowa, does that mean that they can't be charged with workplace discrimination?

I'm talking about an actual incident that occurred in 2012 in Iowa City. 

"Don't complain," I told this young woman. "The experts say to vote with your feet and find another job."

She immediately found another job. It was better. Not perfect, but better.

Upon graduation, she got a better job yet.

"Don't ever go into a female-dominated field," I told her. Why? Because that's what I did. Editors and social workers are largely female. They're also underpaid. Then I found out that even female physicians in medical subspecialties are paid less than men, but never mind.

My daughter, a water treatment operator for American Water in Davenport, is making more money than I ever thought of making and has better benefits, too. She's 24. She gets along with the men she works with, too. The president of American Water Iowa scheduled an appointment with her and told her to schedule an appointment with him if she had any problems at work. He told her they like to promote women and minorities and encouraged her to go to graduate school. He mentioned tuition assistance as a benefit.

There are some men who get it, but more of society will have to change before the U.S. Supreme Court will. We also need more women and women of color in the judiciary generally. We need more women and women of color in Congress. Not all of the men, most of whom have not experienced what we have, get it.