Sex and the Office, Second Edition

This transformative book examines mens and womens changing attitudes toward sex and gender in the US workplace. Between 1870 and 1970, white-collar office work became the leading form of employment for American women. As more and more women took office jobs, men and women workers attempted to make sense of this new environment where the workplace became a site of gendered power negotiations: Emotional and sexual desires entangled with rational operating procedures.Drawing on a wide range of primary sources including government investigation reports, scandal papers, memoirs, and advice literature, Julie Berebitsky describes how women perceived and responded to male desire and discrimination in the office. She also offers keen insight into how popular mediacartoons, advertisements, and a wide array of fictional accountsrepresented wanted and unwelcome romantic and sexual advances in the workplace.Now in paperback for the first time, this compelling edition includes a foreword that brings Berebitskys work into the present, where the Trump presidencies, #MeToo movement, and global pandemic provide striking illustrations of the books enduring relevance. An afterword reflects on Berebitskys lasting impact as a feminist, teacher, and scholar in the fields of labor history and womens studies.