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Europeanization or National Specificity? Legal Approaches to Sexual Harassment in France, 2002–2012

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Abigail C. Saguy
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Abstract

This paper examines whether—and if so how—a 2002 European Directive on sexual harassment has changed the practice and content of sexual harassment law in France. It finds that the European Directive shaped how French courts address sexual harassment and informed the content of a new sexual harassment law France passed in 2012. Yet, its influence has been mediated by dominant national attitudes about: (1) the nature of sexual harassment, (2) which legal institutions are best suited to address it, and (3) the character of women who claim to have been harassed. This paper further suggests that news reporting on a 2011 arrest of a French politician for sexual assault led to more positive attitudes about sexual harassment victims.

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Articles
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Law & Society Review , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , March 2018 , pp. 140 - 171
Copyright
© 2018 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

This research received funding from the UCLA Faculty Senate and the Partner University Fund, a program of FACE. Thanks to the interview respondents and especially Marilyn Baldeck and Catherine LeMagueresse for their time, patience, and wisdom. Thanks to Laure Bereni, Gail Kligman, Eric Fassin, Liora Israel, Michael Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, Mallory Rees, Claire Saas, four anonymous LSR reviewers, and the LSR editors for helpful feedback.

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