Sexual harassment could be considered one of the major discrimination that face this generation. According to the United States federal government, sexual harassment is considered a form of sex discrimination. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines sexual harassment as “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual 's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual 's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.” ("Facts About Sexual Harassment") Abigail Saguy from Berkeley describes sexual harassment in the United States as a form of group discrimination. She also notes within her work that in the United States legislatures have not had as much of a instrumental role in the legislation of sexual harassment as the courts have. Furthermore the United States as Saguy denotes a larger range of actions as sexual harassment than the french …show more content…
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
Despite legislation for equal opportunities, sexism is still evident in the workplace. Women have made great advancements in the workforce and have become an integral part of the labor market. They have greater access to higher education and as a result, greater access to traditionally male dominated professions such as law. While statistics show that women are equal to men in terms of their numbers in the law profession, it is clear however, that they have not yet achieved equality in all other areas of their employment. Discrimination in the form of gender, sex and sexual harassment continues to be a problem in today’s society.
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.
Authors of the book Modern Sexism: Blatant, Subtle, and Covert Discrimination, Nijole V. Benokraitis and Joe R. Feagin, examine gender inequality and sexual discrimination in today’s society while comparing them to issues of the past with hard hitting facts. The book examines multiple forms of sexual discrimination, in addition to the past decades problems. Overall, the authors use of nonstop statistics created a view of a bleak future for the female race.
Even today, we acknowledge the many advances women have made in academics, employment and athletics, we still need to recognize some dismaying facts in our efforts to achieve equity. While sex discrimination is no longer routinely accepted in education and has been prohibited since Title IX became law, the incidences of sexual harassment and assault that are continually reported show that freedom from threats to learning still has not been achieved. In response, the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education has released its final policy guidance on sexual harassment to help educators recognize sexual harassment and formulate age-appropriate responses to prevent or resolve incidences of this form of sex discrimination.
In earlier years, women use to think in order to get along in the workplace they must "go with the flow" of whatever may happen in the office. Co-workers often looked negatively upon people who stuck up for themselves. Men's behaviors at work had always been accepted without question. When women were sexually harassed they had no where to turn.
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.
Sexual Harassment is first traced from the Middle Ages in the feudal era, custom stipulated that all vassals or serfs were required to give their brides to satisfy their masters sexually. The only way this could be avoided was where the bride or the bridegroom paid a specific amount of produce in redemption dues. While this may seem different from sexual harassment on the job, in fact, in feudal times, the feudal lord was the employer of his vassals and serfs, and their brides became his sexual property. The masters appear to have enforced this custom regularly and with great enthusiasm.
Each year many people first become aware of sexual harassment when they are harassed in the workplace. Today in the United States there still seems to be a need for general information about sexual harassment. Many people are unaware of exactly what sexual harassment is, how it affects its victims, where it happens, and what to do if it happens to them. There are many laws that protect people from sexual harassment and provide them with information about what to do if you should ever be in this situation (Wyatt, 2000).
Cheryl, sixteen, trainer for her high-school girl's volleyball team and photographer for the school newspaper, arrived at the gym at about 9:00 Saturday for a volleyball tournament. She left her purse and equipment with friends while she went to the restroom. When the game started and she hadn't returned to the team's bench, her friends went to look for her. Her raped body was found behind some stage backdrops on the balcony of the school auditorium(Booher 12). Sexual harassment and rape are prevalent in all aspects of society.
Harassment has been an issue in the work force and in many other fields for decades, leading all the way back up to 1964. The United States Congress passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination at work on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin and sex. There are many different types of harassment that many do not even know that they can be accused for. Through out my research I will be naming every type of harassment and presenting an article for each topic.
On June 26th, 2013 Ann Slick asked Sam Blunt on a date. Ms. Slick is a local grocery manager who appears to be responsible for hiring, firing, making decisions. Mr. Blunt agreed to accompany Ms. Slick to Taco Bell on Friday evening, the 28th of June. Mr. Blunt a customer service representative, employee who is responsible for providing the customers with great customer service. From Mr. Blunt’s perspective, the date does not end well. On Monday, July 1st Ms. Slick requested to go on another date with Mr. Blunt. Mr. Blunt denied her request to go on another date. Ms. Slick asked Mr. Blunt four more times to accompany her on a date. After the fifth and final request by Ms. Slick was on July 24th, Ms. Slick allegedly said to Mr. Blunt, ‘’ What, are you gay or something?’’ Mr. Blunt replied ‘’No.’’ Mr. Blunt felt very uncomfortable to the point where he felt that sexually harassed by his store manager. Mr. Blunt had never touched her or spoken to her inappropriately.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a huge problem in recent history. It can happen to anyone and it can happen everywhere. It can affect all types of races, gender and age. Statistics today shows that more and more sexual harassment has become an issue due to the large number of cases presented. Mainstream media becomes consume covering sexual harassment because of the high profile cases. Sexual harassment becomes a topic on various TV shows, and on some major morning radio talk shows mostly everyday. Sexual harassment laws must be strengthened in order to fix what has become a serious problem today in the workplace.
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.
... named in the1970s, workplace sexual harassment has increasingly been the subject of legal measures, awareness campaigns and workplace policies in countries across the world. Through these initiatives, a broad consensus around how this kind of treatment should be defined has been developed: it is usually identified as sex-based or sexual behavior unwelcome to its recipient. The research conducted on its extent and dynamics has confirmed that workplace sexual harassment, although it has male victims, is overwhelmingly directed at women. Moreover, it appears to be more often encountered by those who are in a less-powerful labor market position, including young workers, domestic workers, women in non-traditional jobs, migrant workers and women in the informal sector. It is also apparent that sexual harassment imposes heavy costs on both its victims and their employers.