Gender harassment or discrimination is expressed in many ways, deliberately and unintentionally. It may not even be identified or recognized by the target, and can spread over a spectrum of seemingly harmless behaviour to those which constitute persistent psychological battering of women. When women work or study in isolation from significant number of other women, as occurs in most of the basic science fields, we can face gender discrimination on a daily basis.

Sexist teasing results in an unfriendly work or study atmosphere while the continual putdown of our work or ideas creates a work environment so hostile that some of us may voluntarily resign to preserve our mental health. It is essential for us to learn how to recognize gender harassment, develop strategies to neutralize its effects, and if necessary, use whatever grievance processes are available.

In those departments where gender discrimination is practiced wittingly or unwittingly, women are neither encouraged to participate in the study of science, nor to remain and advance in the field. Gender discrimination can create an environment where our talents may go unrecognized; too often our ideas are ignored or undervalued, or if good, may be credited to a man. Some of us may not receive salaries, perks, equipment, office space or support staff equivalent to those of our male counterparts.

Other examples of gender harassment include showing pictures of nude women in class or at work as a joke, differential treatment of female and male students in the class, the continuing refusal to recognize that we need jobs just as much as men do and that we are as serious about our careers, the lack of encouragement or sponsorship of female students or employees for advancement, and the misuse of authority by some men to attempt to control subordinate female employees.