mildred patty baena arnold schwarzeneggerWell, that didn't take very long! It turns out Arnold Schwarzenegger's mistress and mother of his love child was his longtime housekeeper, Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena. The 50-year-old was identified by ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, etc. as THE Woman who gave birth to Arnold's illegitimate 14-year-old son. Now that we know it was Patty, there's plenty of finger-pointing going on and cringe-worthy details being thrown around (apparently Baena was pregnant while Maria was carrying her now 13-year-old son Christopher).

But at the same time, I haven't heard anyone really speculate what was going on for all these years between Baena and Schwarzenegger. Was it really just an "affair" -- or something else?

When it comes to powerful men involved in "sex scandals," like Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, etc., we often jump right to focusing on the infidelity itself. Sure, they all had sex with other women behind their wives' backs. They cheated. They're dogs. But what about the element of power here? Why does no one consider for a moment that maybe these men used their positions of power to get what they wanted from women who weren't their wives?

It seems like this question is especially pertinent in the Schwarzenegger situation. Baena was his employee for many years. We don't know the exact circumstances ... Sure, it's possible that the two were completely on the same page and wanted to carry on a relationship behind Shriver's back. But there's also the possibility that their union was the result of an abuse of power.

Think about it on an everyday level. Say Schwarzenegger was just Baena's boss at a retail gig, or a legal office, and he was coming onto her, and initiating an affair. Wouldn't that be sexual harassment? Does the fact that we're talking about a governor and his housekeeper make the situation any different?

"Sex scandals" like Schwarzenegger's shouldn't necessarily be considered throw-away infidelities. There's something more here. All too often, these pampered celebrities or politicians appear to be abusing their positions of power by initiating sex with women who are their employees, their subordinates. It's possible the affair is completely consensual, but it's also hard to believe that Baena -- and women like her -- weren't to some extent pressured into these affairs. And if that's the case -- why we aren't calling a spade a spade. If it looks like it, walks like it, and sounds like it, it might just be sexual harassment. If so, men like Schwarzenegger must be legally called on their offense.

Do you think sexual harassment played any role in Schwarzenegger's affair or similar "sex scandals"?

 

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