Wanted: More men to deal with the sexual harassment crisis on Capitol Hill

After a week of dramatic resignations on Capitol Hill over sexual harassment allegations, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is asking a searing — and important — question:

Where are the men?

That is, why aren’t more male U.S. senators stepping forward to help sort out changes to how the Senate deals with the particularly sensitive issue of sexual harassment?

Men, the last time we looked, are the ones causing nearly all the heartache.

“Women are being asked to talk about this, and women are being asked to forge a solution,” McCaskill told USA Today. “And we are trying to figure out why men aren’t getting asked more about it, and why men are not more anxious to get a solution.”

Why indeed?

Certainly the scope of the problem is such that that a little help from the male caucus only seems appropriate. These days, 79 of the 100 senators are men.

McCaskill, a Democrat, is one of eight women who have been meeting to hash over issues related to the wave of sexual harassment cases that has swept through official Washington.

They’ve been talking about greater transparency for a process that has now resulted in the resignations of Minnesota’s Al Franken “in the coming weeks,” Michigan Congressman John Conyers and Arizona Congressman Trent Franks.

There are also issues surrounding the need for more and better training so more members fully understand what the standards are (is there really still any doubt?). Then there’s the need to systematically back those who come forward to complain about incredibly powerful lawmakers who can undermine careers with a wave of a hand.

“There clearly has not been enough outreach to show support for those people that aren’t in positions of power that want to come forward and complain,” McCaskill said.

Other women are looking at legislation that would alter the congressional complaint process and better protect accusers. The goal is to build backing for proposals that Congress can enact in the coming weeks.

Yes, men were among those co-sponsoring a resolution last month that required sexual harassment training for senators and staff. Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, meanwhile, has joined a group working to reform the clandestine process for settling workplace harassment and discrimination claims. Turns out that Congress has paid $17 million since 1997, though it’s unclear how much of that went to settle sexual harassment cases.

Still, you don’t see men all that engaged in the process.

“This problem is ingrained in our culture,” McCaskill said in a statement to The Star. “It is frustrating that more men aren’t stepping up to be part of the discussion of how we make changes so everyone is treated with dignity. This is not a ‘women’s issue,’ and it will not be solved only by women. Everyone needs to step up.”

She’s right.

Let’s be clear: That men are holding back casts doubt on just how much progress truly will be made. Likewise, Republicans appear to be holding their members to a different standard.

We hear a lot of talk these days that this is a defining moment for this country. But given the dearth of men seeking to reform Congress, you can’t help but wonder: Is this really a permanent sea change?

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Wanted: More men to deal with the sexual harassment crisis on Capitol Hill."