How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment cover art

How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment

How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams connects the dots between TV, feminism, and workplace protections in this powerful episode inspired by her law review article, co-authored with legal scholar Mary Trevor.

Their work explores how decades of television shaped public understanding of sexual harassment, particularly the form known as quid pro quo. From prime-time depictions to real-life milestones like Anita Hill's Senate testimony, Cynthia walks us through the TV, cultural and legal shifts that defined the transition from Second to Third Wave Feminist movement.

The law review article— Power Plays: Women and Progressive Television Battle Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment in the 20th Century —was published in 2025 by the Howard University Human and Civil Rights Law Review.

🔗 Request the article PDF or connect with Cynthia:

  • Newsletter: https://tvherstory.com

  • Podcast Archive: https://tvherstory.com

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/

  • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cynthiabemisabrams.bsky.social

  • Website: https://cynthiabemisabrams.com

  • Email: cynthia@cynthiabemisabrams.com

🔗 Related ATH Episodes
  • 2.7 – I Believe Anita Hill: The 1991 Hearings and Their Legacy
    https://traffic.libsyn.com/advancedtvherstory/I_Believe_Anita_Hill.mp3

  • 4.14 – How "That Girl" Tackled Sexual Harassment in the 1960s
    https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/that-girl-and-sexual-harassment

  • 4.20 – Sports Night: More Relevant Than Ever
    https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/sports-night-more-relevant-than-ever

  • 5.15 – I Still Believe Anita Hill: The Impact of 1991 Senate Hearings
    https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/i-still-believe-anita-hill-refresh-of-16-ep

  • YouTube: Law Review Article Explained
    https://youtu.be/RbrQSxh_MI4?si=II0oBh12dlveSDzO

No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.