Prepare a Background Statement to Further Analyze the Problem
The number of sexual harassment cases that are reported each year should be a wakeup call to Corporate America (cost in dollars and productivity) and a concern for society in general (moral collapse). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that from fiscal years 2010-2013, there were 30,580 reported sexual harassment claims resulting in monetary payouts of 173.9 million dollars (Sexual Harassment Charges (EEOC Only), 2014, p.1). Sexual harassment can happen to a man or woman, however as I stated in my previous paper I will research the effects of sexual harassment, specifically a hostile work environment toward women and the effects this has on the victims,
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Until that time, and sometimes even today, sexually harassing behavior in the workplace was seen as a “personal” issue. Something that should be handled quietly with the least amount of impact to the organization. The reason this problem continues to exist and needs further research is to find a solution or solutions to a problem that affects not only business productivity, but has an effect on society as a whole. The following are some reasons many businesses have used in my opinion to explain sexual harassment issues in the workplace, and are reactive to the problem versus being proactive and trying to achieve, zero sexual harassment cases in their organizations:
• Men and women working together each and every day will end in some form of sexual harassment…it is natural and normal.
• Sexual harassment is not clearly defined…what is not acceptable to one person or persons could be totally acceptable to many others.
• A females dress or behavior could encourage some form of sexual harassment.
• Women have entered many professions that in the past were dominated by males, i.e. they do not belong in this type of profession (police, military, construction, etc.).
The impact of sexual harassment on an organization negatively affects four categories of groups (1) employee, (2) co-workers, (3) employer, and (4) society as a whole. The employee is affected in the following ways when they are
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The increase of women in the workforce is only about 30 years old. Prior to that time, the majority of women were homemakers and were not in the workforce in significant numbers. Therefore workplace sexual harassment did not gain the attention of media, lawmakers, labor unions, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and now researchers until recently. However the challenges for females to deal with this type of harassment has been going on since the first day they have entered the workforce! “Researchers estimate that approximately 40% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment while at work” (Menendez, Snyder, Scherer, & Fisher, 2012, p. 137). Now, Corporate America has not completely ignored this problem within their organizations and have developed policies, educated managers and supervisors with complying with Title VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964, conducted their own research on the issue and provided training, and finally introduced sexual harassment reporting procedures within their organizations. However, according to (McDonald, Graham, & Martin, 2010, p.168) “these responses have worked only in limited ways in drawing attention to how individual behavior reinforces gendered workplace structures and are partly instigated to protect and shield organizations against litigation”. There have been many studies indicating that sexual harassment is widespread
In Chapter 11 of William Shaw’s The Organization and the People in It goes over issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and its effects. Sexual harassment is defined as the “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature”, most reports of sexual harassment are from women accusing men however men accusing women is becoming more prevalent in todays society (Shaw, p.444). Sexual harassment is a moral issues because a person becomes a victim by means of verbal comments, gestures, or physical contact of a sexual nature and not being able to refuse them without fear that something worse will happen.
Sexual harassment by definition is based on conduct of a sexual nature. An article on ENotes.com describes sexual harassment as;
In an article by Lisa Mooney about tension in the workplace, Mooney explains that there are many signs of sexual harassment in a place of business such as, the language men use towards their female co-workers, by referring to them as “ladies, babes or gals”, refers to there being a gender bias in the environment. Also if a man makes lots of physical contact with a co-worker of the opposite sex, there is an underlying assumption that he wants to have sexual contact with that person. All of these things and more make for tension for everyone around and also start cases of sexual harassment. Another form of tension is the power struggle between a female with a higher position than another male co-worker. If that woman is a no nonsense type of boss, then she is labeled as an evil boss rather than her just doing her job. These are some of the reasons it’s hard for a women to have and keep a job in the corporate world and why women everyday are fighting for better rights not only in the everyday real world but also just in the
5. List the factors which contribute to a determination of whether behavior is sexual harassment.
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
Roberts, Barry S. and Richard A. Mann. ?Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Primer.? n.pag. On-line. Internet. 5 Dec 2000. Available WWW:
Sexual Harassment is a prohibited conduct of inappropriate behavior in which an individual makes unwelcome sexual favors, requests, or any other form of verbal or physical acts in a sexual nature in which it creates a hostile environment to work in. any form of harassment that hinders or interferes with an employee’s work should be taken seriously and will not be tolerated.
Sexual harassment is so ordinary in the workforce that frequently we fail to even recognize harassing behavior as immoral. This is because so many of us--women and men alike--have become desensitized to offensive behaviors. Sexual harassment in any form is unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated by anyone. It undermines our ability to study, to work, and to feel like effective, empowered people in the world.
This coincides with our basic human desire to conform to a certain extent to the laws that govern our society. In order to progress through gender equality society must weaken male- advantaged gender beliefs but not to the point that it becomes a male disadvantaged gender belief. The fact that sexual harassment policy education is becoming commonplace, through the threat to companies to comply with federal statute, forces each worker to bear in the forefront of their mind these gender beliefs and the repercussions of continuing sexual discrimination. However, this practice can also backfire and make female workers be perceived as inferior because they need legal protection through such policies. This can lead to frivolous cases of sexual harassment in almost any
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 .
Harassment of a sexual nature, typically in the workplace or other setting where raising objections or refusing may have negative consequences is considered sexual harassment. In American employment law, it is any unwelcome sexual advance on the job that creates intimidation in the workplace. Sexual harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination. Unfortunately, the definition of sexual harassment is very controversial; it is truly based on what ones personal opinion is. Typical sexual harassment behavior usually includes unwanted touching of a co-worker, lewd comments, talk about gender superiority, or sexual jokes (Sandler, 1997).
Clark, C. S. (1991, August 9). Sexual harassment. CQ Researcher, 1, 537-560. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher
.What does sexual harassment really means? Many people cannot define the exactly sexual harassment means. According Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 it defined as, " (Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or
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 affect 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. Sexual harassment is a growing problem in today's workplace. The signs and causes of harassment are not always easy to detect.
In today’s workplace, sexual harassment is a growing problem. The legal definition of sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance or conduct on the job that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Another definition is the making of unwanted and offensive sexual advances or of sexually offensive remarks or acts, especially by one in a superior or supervisory position. Women and men of all ages, backgrounds, races and experience are harassed on the job. Sexual harassment encountered in workplaces is a hazard across the world that reduces the quality of working life, jeopardizes the well-being of women and men, undermines gender equality and imposes costs on firms and organizations.