Amanda Pirutti
Sociology of Gender
November 2015
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
Sexual harassment is any form of unprecedented sexual conduct in which the offender uses inappropriate language and actions that humiliate the sexuality of the offended. At workplaces, sexual harassment occurs when stakeholders of an organization engage in unwelcomed conducts of sexual nature, which makes the recipients (of the conduct) intimidated and uncomfortable. As Solotoff and Kramer (2014: 67) assert, sexual harassment is a widespread practice in the American workplace, and is more prevalent among women than men. This is evident from statistics that about 25% of women have experienced sexual harassment at workplaces (Solotoff & Kramer 2014: 68).
Sexual harassment at workplaces does range from derogatory comments, uncalled-for sexual advances, threats relating to sexual assault, to the act of rape. The prevalence of sexual harassment in workplaces, especially from supervisors and/or managers to their juniors, is on a constant rise because such employees (the offended) do fear to lose their jobs in case they decline the unwanted sexual advances from their bosses (Achampong 1999: 27). However, it is unacceptable that employees be subjected to sexual harassment from their seniors just because they risk losing the jobs they value most.
Usually, sexual harassment takes place in form of physical assaults such as inappropriate touching of workers’ bodies; verbal, where workers make
In corporate America, sexual harassment is a huge concern amongst many organizations. The matter of sexual harassment is an issue that needs to be immediately attended to in
Sexual harassment is a demeaning practice, one that constitutes a profound affront to the dignity of the employees forced to endure it. By requiring an employee to contend with unwelcome sexual actions or explicit sexual demands, sexual harassment in the workplace attacks the dignity and self-respect of the victim both as an employee and as a human being. Sexual harassment is well defined as an unwelcome sexual request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. In many countries, sexual harassment is considered a form of sexual abuse and employment discrimination. Sexual harassment is most prevalent is organizations both professional and academic, though it can occur almost anywhere.
Injustices in this world infect people's lives like diseases. One in particular has not only developed over the years, but cases spring up in the most unthought of places. This injustice commonly known as sexual harassment affects women, children, and occasionally men all across the globe. There are many aspects when it comes to sexual harassment including its background, opposing viewpoints on the popular belief, the popular viewing, sexual harassment in today's society, solutions to the problem, and what the future would be like without this injustice on the world's hands.
In the book, sexual harassment is described as unwelcome sexual attention, whether verbal or physical, that affects an employee’s job condition or creates a hostile working environment. There are many types of sexual harassment such as unwanted sexual advances, coercion, favoritism, indirect harassment,
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.
Thesis statement: Sexual harassment is an ongoing issue. From everyday workplaces to daily encounters, sexual assault is still a concern in our daily life and has yet to be generally recognized.
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcomed behavior of a sexual nature. It is illegal and protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Feminist Majority Foundation). It can occur in many settings including the workplace, schools, and even in public settings. It is most common that females are harassed by males, however, that’s not always the case. Females can also sexually harass males. Sexual harassment may not always be obvious or seem like a serious issue. Sometimes people are being sexually harassed and they don’t even realize it because they have no idea what sexual harassment really is. In this paper I will discuss what sexual harassment is, examples of what it may look
The concept of sexual harassment, in its modern sense, is a relatively new one, dating from the 1970s onwards; Sexual harassment is nothing less than the showcasing of male dominance. It is behaviour with a Sexual Connotation that is abusive, injurious and unwelcome. It places the victim in an atmosphere of intimidation, humiliation or hostility. It may be constituted by many or a single act and the intention of the person has no relevance. Thus Sexual Harassment is basically an expression of male power over women that sustain patriarchal relations. It is used to remind women of their vulnerability and subjugated status. The expression “Sexual Harassment” is quite comprehensive and includes the acts like physical contact, demand or request
Every public and private employer in the State of California (except the federal government and religious, non-profit corporations or associations) is subject to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act’s (FEHA), which prohibits against sexual harassment in the workplace. Individual supervisors, managers and non-supervisory employees are individually subject to the FEHA’s anti-harassment provisions. The goal of the FEHA is to familiarize supervisors and managers with their responsibilities under California law for responding to, and preventing, sexual harassment. Although federal law imposes similar duties as those required by the FEHA, there are some important differences that will be highlighted in my paper.
Sexual harassment is still very much in existence in the workplace today. Sexual harassment can happen in the work place for a number of reasons. The individual circumstances and situations are endless. No industry or organization is safe from the possibility. Sexual harassment includes anything sexual in nature, physically, verbally and physical. This paper analyzes the many facets in which employee Anna faces sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
In our society sexual harassment has been in the workplace for years. The use of sexual harassment in the workplace has been remembered best as a weapon used to keep women in their place which would cause them to forfeit promotions within their organizations. It was once believed that women were the only victims but the shift is now changing men are also reporting that they are also victims of sexual harassment on the job. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed and employers began to recognize that they were liable for two types of sexual harassment. The first kind of harassment is Quid pro quo when a supervisor offers the employee sexual advances in order to get or keep a job, and also this harassment is used to determined if an
Sexual harassment is a vice that has become very prevalent in the society in the recent past. Sexual harassment occurs in a myriad of ways depending on the context and nature of the recipient of the activity, however; different researchers have defined sexual harassment differently depending on the context of their study and the impression they aim to create. The different definitions presented by different scholars have some insufficiencies and limitations that undermine their use and understanding the issue of sexual harassment. This paper augments the different definitions of sexual harassment and how they impact on the general understanding of the
As Angel Kwolek-Folland said, “Women’s presence in the office work force challenged the Victorian ideal of separate public and private worlds for men and women” (Covey). In all our country’s attempts to eradicate sexual harassment it is still an issue people face every day. Sexual harassment is more than just inappropriate touching it is also verbal harassment and even body language. The textbook definition of sexual harassment as stated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is “unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature” (Wakeman). While many think that the lines of what is sexual harassment and what is not are blurred they are not. Sexual harassment is behavior that is “so frequent or severe that is creates a hostile work environment” (Wakeman). Even though some common arguments maybe that the definition od sexual harassment is unclear or that without it the workplace would be dull, sexual harassment is not something to be ignored or belittled and it is still a big problem that people face in their workplace.
Organizations have an obligation to create a harassment free environment for its employees. Harassment doesn’t have to be of a sexual nature. An organization is liable if the harassment is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in adverse employment actions such as the victim being fired, demoted, or transferred. Harassing a person based on their sex is illegal. Sexual harassment has a great impact on an employee’s productivity as well as poses a major impact on an organization’s finances in litigation.
In this research paper I would fully discuss what sexual harassment. I will start on the origin of sexual harassment and how it came into law. I will discuss what environment of sexual harassment looks like in the work place. The reader should be able to discover the different types of sexual harassment: Quid pro quo and Indirect. I will show you illustrated trends of sexual harassment in the work place over the years. I will discuss how sexual harassment affect both parties, meaning the employer and the employee. I will back up theses affects by laws that are set in place to protect the employee and hold the employer responsible. I will give an analysis on recent litigation involving sexual harassment in the workplace. In my conclusion I will give a recommendation on how to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and what management can to protect their employees.