"Unbearable 'Affection'"

Author: Yang Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The author Yang Yang, with a meticulous and observant female perspective and simple yet fluent language, narrates a story centered around four women: Ren Fangfei, a "rich sister" with a background as a migrant worker; Qi Hailan, a "sea returnee" female white-collar; Yang Xinran, a recent college graduate; and Lin Qing, a homemaker. In their work and lives, they encounter sexual harassment. Their different attitudes toward sexual harassment and the subsequent awkward situations they face lead readers to a series of reflections: Why is sexual harassment such a pervasive social phenomenon? Why, in some places, does tolerating sexual harassment even become an inevitable price for career advancement or keeping one's job? Submitting to sexual harassment can have long-term consequences for both family and career, but is it a losing battle in reality to stand up and resist sexual harassment? The novel vividly depicts the harm caused by sexual harassment to women's dignity and right to work, and clearly expresses the author's call for legislation to protect women and encourage legal rights to resist sexual harassment. In Cannot Endure the Intimacy, the "sea returnee" white-collar Qi Hailan, who has a strong sense of resistance, sues her harasser. The difficulties she faces when gathering evidence, her helplessness in the legal process, and the immense social pressure and risk of losing the case she bears are not to be underestimated, making it a daunting prospect. In reality, many women, when faced with sexual harassment, mainly consider their reputation and fear the complexity of legal procedures, choosing instead to endure and compromise.