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Gendered violence essays
What is sexual harassment? essay
What is sexual harassment? essay
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Sexual Harassment
Unwelcome sexual behavior has been a serious problem in our society for many years. We need to focus more on this problem, because a lot of men still don’t take it seriously, it happens, because they don’t know the real definition of sexual harassment.
Men and women explain in differently. When 1200 men and women were asked if they would consider sexual proposition flattering 68% of men said they would, and only 17% of the women agreed. At the same time 63% of women would be insulted by it and only 15% of men.
The major question today is: What should be considered sexual assault?
Many people believe that the seriousness of it is evident, however there are some that disagree, they disagree of what sexual harassment is.
What is sexual harassment? –Unwelcome sexual behavior, but another may not unwelcome what is unwelcome by one. People have been arguing on what should be considered sexual harassment and finely came up with a definition for it. Its requests for sexual favors, suggestive looks, and sexual remarks, deliberate touching, pressure for dates, letters and calls, actual or attempted rape (Verbal and physical conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment).
A lot of people feel that categorizing everything from rape to “looks” as unwelcome sexual behavior makes all of as victims. Should it always be considered an illegal harassment, when a man makes an obscene comment to a woman on the street, when behavior which one woman takes as harassment, could be seen by another as a non-threatening joke.
Many believe that legal definition of sexual harassment threatens the freedom of speech; one man’s vulgarity is another mans lyric, and many of the cases are simp...
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... to believe it is acceptable to abuse and harass female.
To reduce unwelcome sexual behavior men must reexamine their attitudes towards it. We have to establish strong, clear sexual harassment policies in the work places where the majority are men. Women must report all incidents out of fear that their lives and careers would be harmed.
Now days law covers any remark or behavior that a “ reasonable women” would find to be threatening. Is that enough? Does it really protect women? Some say yes, and some say no, but as sexual harassment continuous to happened in our society something has to be done.
Bibliography.
Violent relationships. Texas: Information plus, 1999.
Wekeseer c. and Swisher K. Sexual harassment. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1992.
Black, Beryl. Coping with sexual harassment. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, INK. , 1996.
Sexual harassment is defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature” (EEOC). In many cases, these can be hostile, aggressive, and violent. However, harassment does not have to be overtly sexual to be unlawful. It can include repeated offensive comments and verbal abuse. When sexual harassment occurs in the workplace, it can create an intimidating situation from which the victim feels he or she cannot escape.
“Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conducts of a sexual nature constitute (are) sexual harassment when: (1) submission to (agree to) . . . or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals, or (2) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile (threatening), or offensive working environment” (ENotes.com...
Sexual harassment includes requests for sexual favors, sexual advances or other sexual conduct when (a) submission is either explicitly or implicitly a condition affecting academic or employment decisions; or (b) the behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to create an intimidating, hostile or repugnant environment; or (c) the behavior persists despite objection by the person to whom the conduct is directed. Companies considers such behavior, whether physical or verbal, to be a breach of its standards of conduct. It will seek to prevent such incidents and will investigate and take corrective actions for violations of this policy.
According to legal dictionary (2013), sexual harassment refers to any form of unwelcome sexual behavior or advances, appeals for sexual errands, and other form of physical or verbal conduct or behavior that portrays sex nature and tends to make the working environment offensive or hostile. Any behavior or remarks that take such forms constitute sexual harassment when: Compliance to such conduct happens either implicitly or explicitly based on employment of an individual, rejection or compliance to such conduct is used to make decisions during employment and when such conduct interferes or affects performance of a person at the workplace. Sexual harassment ta...
In “A distressing summer of workplace sexism reminds us how far we have to go” by Susanna Schrobsdorff, the author states, “according to a Pew Research survey released in August, most American men—56%— think sexism is over and done with. More than half believe that “the obstacles that once made it harder or women than men to get ahead are now largely gone. Of course, most women—63%—disagree” (Schrobsdorff 55). The misbelief that sexism still does not exist allows for the culture in which women continue to only be seen as sexual objects and not competent workers. Ehrenreich describes that, “[you should] watch out for Lon, who has a habit of following his female coworkers into service closets” (Ehrenreich 64). Ehrenreich is warned about a potential harassing employee and that it may happen to you, but most importantly, the behavior is normalized instead of trying to stop it. In “Not Just Fox” by Katha Pollitt, she explains that there is a misconception when it comes to being harassed and it is that, “being harassed is not a matter of weakness; it’s about the enormous power differential between worker and boss” (Pollitt 6). This is further supported by “ a 2015 Cosmopolitan survey, 71% of women said they did not file complaints about sexual harassment, likely because they feared appearing difficult or ‘too sensitive.’And they worry about retaliation and job security” (Schrobsdorff 55). Sometimes the person that is doing the harassing is the supervisor or the manager, when this occurs the victim is left with little options that will not disrupt the workplace. She also runs the possibility of being fired solely to avoid a sexual harassment complaint that she may file against him. Ehrenreich states that, “as a dietary aide, as I understand the job, is dependent on a cook as a waitress is[;] He or she
According to Webster’s online dictionary, it is believed that the phrase “sexual harassment” was coined at Cornell University in 1974 ("Sexual harassment," 2011). The phrase wasn’t, however, really used in common language until the testimony of Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas in 1991. Sexual harassment can take many different shapes and forms. According to a Fox News article, the sexual harassment claims made by men have increased twofold in the last twenty years ("Sexual harassment claims," 2010). Because sexual harassment is illegal both on a federal and state level in many states, there are steps that an individual and employer should take to prevent sexual harassment.
It is estimated that nine out of ten women will be victims of sexual advances at work. The courts are making it easier to hold a company liable for any sexual harassment behavior that occurs within the workplace. The employer does not even need to know that the sexual harassment is taking place for an employee to file a suit and win. It is almost impossible to find a ?solution? or ?magic key? that will end the problem. There is no guarantee that anything will prevent sexual harassment from happening. There are only suggestions that might help in depleting the problem.
The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission describes sexual harassment as a form of gender discrimination that is in violation of the Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Undesirable sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and further verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment, when compliance to or refusal of this behavior explicitly or implicitly affects an individual employment (EEOC).
For some, sexual harassment and assault seem almost like myths or bad dreams. For others, it's a living reality. The United States Department of Justice defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” Sexual harassment and assault are demeaning, terrifying, and forceful behaviors. And yet, it’s happening every day. People hollering out car windows at pedestrians. Groups of teenagers terrifying
What is sexual harassment? It is the conduct to unwelcome and affect the terms and conditions of employment. There are several different ways an individual can be sexual harassed .
On average, 65% of women will experience some form of harassment in public areas. Many women have shared these occurrences “overwhelming number of stories of women’s experiences of being sexually harassed, frequently with tales of leering men masturbating at them in public spaces” (. This gross behavior is by no means endorsed, but law enforcement often does little to stop it. Unlike sexual assault, there are no overarching laws in place to protect victims of sexual harassment within a public space. Instances of harassment in the home, work place, and school are often met with the attention of law enforcement, why not in the street? As brought up by Marc Tran, “there are significant differences between domestic violence and street harassment” (Tran, 189). Although this is very true, violence against women should not be tolerated in any form, specifically within a space that should be available to all
Glazer, S. (1996, July 19). Crackdown on sexual harassment. CQ Researcher, 6, 625-648. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/
To conclude sexual harassment is a tremendously huge issue that should be taken seriously. The only solution for tackling this situation is to speak up when this situation happen to someone. Encourage the victim of sexual harassment to come forward and report to proper authority as soon as possible. The longer the victim waits, the less probability that it will be corrected. If there is someone out there that had been victim of harassment confront the person regarding the situation. Call for help and consult with local HR representative or appropriate authority. Do not become part of the statistics of such shameful acts. Get help! Finally, sexual harassment laws must be strengthened in order to fix what has become a serious problem today in the workplace in order to avoid having more victims.
Sexual Harassment/Assault is a growing issue in the U.S. In this paper I will highlight the meaning of sexual harassment, some of the signs, behavior theories, and concepts of being sexually harassed. The history of sexual harassment dates back to slave days when it didn’t really have a meaning or name but women activist were protesting against it. I will explore the statistics of sexual harassment and how it occurs more common in women. Also I will connect my personal experiences as a teenager dealing with my sister being sexually harassed at her first job. Research shows that women are more affected by being sexually harassed or abused especially when it happens at their job. They find it more difficult to carry on after they have been harassed and to move on comfortably. This issue usually has a more long term effect on women then it would have on men. Men are usually the ones who initiate any sexual act that’s going to take place. Therefore it’s more common to find that the men are harassing the women not saying it’s never vice versa but women are shown more in my research. My personal experiences aren’t exactly direct but it gave me a firsthand view on how this issue is sometimes hard to recognize but very prominent in society today. Studies show that being sexually harassed can effect and devastate your psychological health, physical well-being and vocational development. Therefore it’s better to be aware of the history, and behavioral concepts of this issue to avoid it from happening to you.
Signs of harassment can range from comments on a woman’s breasts or hips to unwanted "accidental" fondling or offensive pictures being brought to their attention. Harassment can also tak...