Sexual Harassment Epidemic Plaguing The Modern Workplace

Coming from a country in a part of the world where being misogynistic is incredibly prevalent and often encouraged, I have witnessed and been around many acts of sexual harassment as well as victims of it. At a very young age, I learned that my first cousin was sexually harassed by her husband’s brother when they were alone and that is when I learned the true horrors of the world. Everyone knew the truth about what happened, but no one helped my cousin, not her husband, her father, or her brothers. Sadly, Where I’m from, a third world country, is not the only place things like this happen. There are acts of sexual harassment even in countries like America in big corporations such as Hollywood. We’ve learned about these many acts through recent

Harassment has plagued the world for centuries. Why should the workplace be any different? Sexual harassment and workplace violence are not only of historical roots, but contemporary issues are still present in the workforce today. Managers are addressing and combating modern sexual harassment and workplace violence, however instances still occur (Robbins, Decenzo & Coulter, 2011).

Sexual harassment was made illegal in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This article “protects individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of race and color, as well as national origin, sex, and religion” (“Title VII”). Although the bill was originally passed to combat the “growing unrest in the country emanating from the pervasive and egregious racial discrimination and segregation exposed during the civil rights protests in the 1960s,” it has since grown to encompass all areas of discrimination in the field of employment (“Pre 1965”). The same act also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce

Sexual harassment is bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Harassment in itself is illegal but sexual harassment takes a different form. Although illegal, it may not be taken as serious as it should. Badgering charges are normally an offense, yet that grouping does not nullify the reality of a provocation charge. Harassment charges don't rebuff lead yet rather rebuff certain sorts of disturbing or irritating correspondences.

Does the phrase “That’s what she said.” sound familiar? The phrase is from the popular hit television series The Office. The guy behind this popular quote is none other than Dunder Mifflin’s Michael Scott. This quote is not only inappropriate but it is also a form of sexual harassment and Michael Scott is the king of sexual harassment. Unfortunately sexual harassment is a problem that is occurring in the workplace. In another popular movie, Horrible Bosses, sexual harassment is one of the main points in the story. The best example of this is when Charlie Day’s boss, Jennifer Anniston, constantly makes sexual gestures and inappropriate statements at him. However, in The Office and Horrible Bosses, sexual harassment is taken to an extreme. What is unfortunate about sexual harassment is that most people do not realize that it is illegal in the workplace. However, it is possible that a few comments slip out every now and then but they should not be taken lightly. Unfortunately in these situations, there is nothing done to prevent it in the workplace, which I have decided to look into the problem of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.

Work place policies regarding sexual harassment is the main issue discussed in this article. Sexual harassment has continued to be a challenge within the workplace. According to a recent review of sexual harassment related resolutions, employers have paid over $732,976.00 in sexual harassment fines (Hobson, Szostek, & Fitzgerald, 2015). The EEOC has issued written guidelines for appropriate strategies employers should use to handle workplace sexual harassment and specific ways to address it. It is the employer’s duty to proactively work to protect all employees from any type of sexual harassment by following sexual harassment policies and procedures that are put in place. Failure to implement and follow the policy and procedure in the workplace can and most likely will lead to liability should an EEOC investigation or lawsuit occur. The employer needs to disperse copies of the policies and procedures and post them in central locations throughout the organization and address sexual harassment in the employee handbooks. The policy and procedures need to clear

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.

The current social and economic concerns in the world have focused more on the achievement of equality between men and women at the various levels of engagements. However, this dream has been delayed long enough thanks to the vices that are still tied in the social fabric of a majority of societies across the globe. One principal goal in the recent years revolves on the eradication of workplace sexual harassment. This act affects both men and women, but it is more pronounced in the latter gender. The focus of this study is majorly on workplace sexual harassment that women in Canada have had to contend with for many years. This study will define the existence of workplace sexual harassment and some of the contributing factors. In addition, the study will cover some of the organizations that have thrown their weight against the vice and the strategies employed to address the issue. Finally, a conclusion will analyze the viability of some of the strategies adopted to address the matter and their effectiveness in addressing the issue of sexual harassment at the workplace.

During the last decade women have begun to speak out against sexual harassment which has made many employers set a zero tolerance of sexual harassment in the workplace. In most organizations there are policies and guidelines created to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace and procedures to follow if an employee feels that they have been sexually harassed.

As seen in the case study, a court decision may be one way for any company to legally define what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace, but there are many ways to define sexual harassment. Everyone has different views and tolerance levels towards sexual harassment. When a case of sexual harassment occurs in a workplace, however, it comes down to how the courts define sexual harassment. The Supreme Court defines sexual harassment to be unlawful in two ways. “The first type involves sexual harassment that results in a tangible employment action;” this is referred to as quid pro quo. For example, if an employee complies with the harasser’s request, then she will get a raise. This unlawful act is usually presented in the workplace by a person who has an upper hand, such as a manager, to ensure that s/he will get what s/he wants. Employees are often victimized by fear that they will not get promoted or that they will get fired. They also dread that if a complaint is filed, it will not be handled correctly. “This instance of sexual harassment always involves another violation of employee rights; [sic] wrongful termination.” This would occur, for instance, when “a supervisor . . . tells a subordinate that . . . she must be sexually cooperative with [him] or . . . she will be fired, and who then indeed does fire the subordinate for not submitting” (“U.S. Supreme Court Defines”). [schwinlaw.com]

There are federal laws put in position to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Most employees sometimes don’t even realize what sexual harassment is are when they are committing this violation. On the flip side an employee may not realized when they are being sexually harassed and when is the appropriate time to speak up. Education on sexual harassment has increased within the workplace as cases are more public and fines are getting steeper.

Over the years, many people have believed that the issue of sexual harassment should not be discussed in public. Sexual harassment was to be discussed behind closed doors. In spite of this, the social and political systems have changed instantaneously. This social problem has affected men and women throughout time; however, it seems that the women of our society more closely look at this issue. This social topic has encouraged women to establish organizations in order to help them discuss the issues more openly and to demand equality including fairness and justice throughout the workplace and in their social lives as well. In recent years, sexual harassment has been one of the most serious and widespread problems

These laws were written in response to a number of cases where employees, particularly female employees, were made to feel uncomfortable in the workplace by harassment of a sexual nature. This type of conduct was discouraging women from entering the work force. By introducing laws against sexual harassment, the law aims to stop all members of society being susceptible to, or discouraged by sexual harassment. Furthermore, the element of unlawful harassment is described broadly.

Unlike the majority of men, women are often over sexualized by their male coworkers and end up being treated in ways that are degrading and disrespectful. The sad truth is that if these women were in fact male they would have to put up with next no harassment, proving the unequal treatment of women in their places of work. Sexual harassment in work place first gained national attention in 19191 when President Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to US Supreme court. Thomas’s former assistant testified that he had sexually harassed her by making a series or sexually inappropriate comments, overtures and solicitations while acting as her supervisor. (Issues and Controversies) This is not the only sighted case of sexual harassment in the work place. It is reported that 81 percent of women are verbally harassed and 44 percent have encountered unwanted toughing and sexual advances (__) This form of harassment is degrading to women, putting them in a place that men perceive to be below them and shows the inequality that is present in the life of an everyday working

Social inequality is a pressing issue in society today. It is a problem that is embedded deeply in society and has a harmful and negative impact. It creates an uneven distribution of resources and opportunities in society thereby causing people to be marginalized. There are many categories associated with social inequality. Examples include race, ethnicity, age, gender, power and social class. This paper will examine gender inequality in society. Using an article from the Toronto Star, I will focus on sexual harassment as an issue of gender inequality in the workplace and the impact it has had on the self-esteem as well as opportunities and achievements of women. Gender Inequality can be defined as the unequal treatment and prejudice of a person on the basis of sex and gender roles. Sexual harassment is further defined as any unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favours of verbal, gestural or physical nature and with objectionable overtones which cause discomfort, humiliation, fear or anger (I.L.O, 1958). Gender Inequality is mostly affected by women. In the workplace, schools, political positions and even in families, women are seen as the inferior sex. In Canadian history, it was not until the 1900s women were given equal rights to vote and the 1920s before a woman was elected in parliament. (Smith, 2011) This is to show that gender discrimination has been embedded in society for a very long time and although laws have been made to make sure males and females are