“North Country” is based on Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company –a case centered on sexual harassment. According to the movie, Lois Jenson and Patricia Kosmach filed a petition against Eveleth Mines for alleged sexual harassment. The court determined that Eveleth Mines violated Title VII, which prohibits hostility at workplaces by engaging in practices that encouraged sexual aggression against female workers. Thus, the company not only breached employment ethics but also violated sexual morals.

First and foremost, Eveleth Mines sought sexual favors from the plaintiffs. In fact, at Eveleth Mines, job promotions to the position of step-up foreman were motivated by attempts to win the women, which violated the sexual morality. Based on the plaintiffs’ testimonies, sexual harassment was propagated in different ways within the company. For example, pieces of evidence including sexually explicit graffiti and posters found in the women’s vehicles, restrooms, and inter-office mails all indicated the rampancy of sexual immorality at Eveleth Mines. Moreover, the court was convinced that the company’s first-line supervisors had actual thoughts of harassing behaviors.

The sexual immorality motivated by the company generally had far-reaching impacts, particularly on the victims. For example, the practices inevitably destroyed the self-esteem of women employees. The “North Country” shows that the emotional harm to which women were exposed resulted in indecency that translated to psychological damages of the victims. In addition to these undesirable outcomes, the women suffered humiliation and degradation from the hostile working environment.

On the other hand, Eveleth Mines violated employment ethics. Based on the movie, ethical violations was particularly crucial as the company tolerated a high level of hostility in the working environment. For example, Eveleth Mines employed some unethical employment acts, which favored discrimination against women regarding job promotions. Therefore, it can be settled that such isolated events and actions violated human rights and led to detrimental impacts to the disadvantage of female workers.

Moreover, the court found out that Eveleth Mines, Inc. had failed to implement approaches for handling complaints regarding sexual harassment. Thus, the organization did not make any attempt to eliminate sexual offenses in the working environment. Moreover, it was established that most of the claimants were subjected to external trauma or stresses. As a result, the appellants suffered emotional problems that could cause symptomatology as well as psychological impact.

Most importantly, the company did not take any prompt actions against male employees who engaged in sexual assaults. In this way, Eveleth Mines “supported” immoral and unethical practices. Therefore, judges concluded that the company’s reluctance to act against unethical behaviors played a critical role in violating the rights of women employees leading to gender discrimination.

Work Cited

Rahmad, Dimas. “North Country Full’2005’Movie – Josey Aimes,” YouTube, 17 Oct. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4KRPy42c3s. Accessed 1 April 2019.