Analysis Of Sexual Harassment Essay, Research Paper

Sexual harassment is one of the biggest problems facing our

schools and businesses today. A week rarely goes by without a

reminder of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment as a social

problem. Sexual harassment is a growing problem in the government

agencies, schools, and the corporations of the world; however, many

corporations are now adopting new anti-harassment policies.(Conta)

The definition of sexual harassment is any unwanted or

inappropriate sexual attention. That includes touching, looks,

comments, or gestures. A key part of sexual harassment is that it is

one sided and unwanted. There is a great difference between sexual

harassment and romance or friendship, since those are mutual feelings

of two people. Often sexual harassment makes the victim feel guilty,

but it is important for the victim to remember that it is not their

fault, the fault lies totally on the person who is the harasser.

Many times fear is involved in sexual harassment because it

isn’t about physical attraction, it’s about power. In fact, many

sexual harassment incidents take place when one person is in a

position of power over the other; or when a woman has an untraditional

job such as a police officer, factory worker, business executive, or

any other traditionally male job. Typical victims of harassment are

young, single, college-educated, members of a minority racial or

ethnic group (if male), in a trainee position (or office/ clerical

positions if male), or have an immediate supervisor of the opposite

sex. (Cq researcher 542)

Presently, it is hard for courts and others to decide when

sexual harassment has taken place because the definition of sexual

harassment is much too broad. Clearing up the legal definition of

sexual harassment would discourage and punish harassers and bring

comfort to the victims. Here are some points to remember in deciding

when sexual harassment takes place: Sexual harassment is one-sided and

unwelcome.

* It is about power and not attraction.

* It happens over and over again.

* It gets worse.

* Subtle sexual behavior is sometimes socially acceptable, but some

would consider it offensive and want it stopped.

* Moderate sexual behavior is not socially acceptable, reasonable

people would want it stopped.

* Severe sexual behavior is never acceptable. (Swisher 28)

Sexual harassment is a major problem in public schools,

colleges, and universities. Surveys on college campuses show the

number of respondents reporting to have been sexually harassed

ranging from 40-70 percent. Only two percent of campus harassment

cases involve a professor demanding sex in return for a good grade.

Most cases involve male and female students.

In public schools current sexual harassment definitions are

inappropriate, since bad sexual behavior of today’s children isn’t

sexual harassment, but it is a reflection of the vulgar, violent, and

the sexually explicit nature of our media and culture. When little

six-year-old children get suspended from school for kissing girls on

the cheek, it is not an example of sexual harassment but of political

correctness gone wild.

Sexual harassment is still a big problem in schools and

every school district in Washington now has an antiharassment policy.

“Junior high or middle school has the biggest problem with sexual

harassment mainly because of their immaturity and out-of-control

hormones”. Says Viki Simmons of the YWCA. “Many times in high

school, students don’t think anything about it when harassment

happens, but schools are now cracking down on it”. (Simmons interview)

In the business world employers are now on notice that sexual

harassment will no longer be tolerated in the workplace. Claims

brought against alleged harassers include wrongful termination,

invasion of privacy, violation of due process and free speech rights,

defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Sexual harassment usually happens to women in low-paying

jobs, or women that have to have a job in order to support themselves

and children. If sexual harassment happens at work, write down a

detailed description of what took place, so that it is well recorded

and you don’t have to think back to the incident. You should keep a

note pad handy for this purpose, or write it on a napkin to help you

remember. You should write:

* When it happened

* Where it happened

* What time it happened

* What actually took place and what the offender said

* How you felt

* The names of any witnesses

Another way to do this is to write a letter to the harasser.

Be sure to keep a copy. Tell the person clearly in the letter that his

behavior toward you is unwanted. Tell the person that he will be

reported if the behavior doesn’t stop (Kolbert). According to the

research group Catalyst, recent studies have found that 40 percent to

60 percent of woman say they have been harassed sometime in their

career.

Employers have a duty to investigate allegations of sexual

harassment, and their employees have a legitimate interest in knowing

what activities could result in their termination. Ever clearer

definitions of sexual harassment are being implemented by more and

more corporations around the country. As this happens, an

increasing number of companies are searching for new ways of

protecting themselves against allegations, adopting their own anti-

harassment policies to combat this growing problem.

CEO’s should do a variety of things to stop sexual harassment

in the work place. The most important thing is senior management makes

it clear to workers that harassment in any form won’t be tolerated.

If top managers don’ take the issues seriously, employees won’t

either. Managers must also understand they are responsible for their

employees.

Companies need an explicit written policy on sexual

harassment that is widely available in the workplace. Most

consultants advise companies to do more than just post the policy on

bulletin boards. They should distribute it company wide, repeatedly.

Copies should be included in new employee orientation packets.

Employees should have clear definitions of what sexual harassment is

and isn’t.

Many companies are now offering employee training sessions on

sexual harassment, and many say that follow up training is a good

idea. Training programs should include all employees, rather than just

managers. The tone should be gender neutral and avoid heavy

discussions on male harassment that might cause some resentment among

the male employees. Many times programs aren’t effective because they

spend a lot of time just attacking men and not the crime.

Companies need a good system to deal with complaints. A

clear process for handling complaints shows that a company takes them

seriously. Until 1991 it was harder for woman to make allegations of

sexual harassment, since woman felt like there was nothing that they

could do about it. But the highly publicized hearings of Clarence

Thomas and Anita Hill in 1991 changed everything.

During the fall of 1991, the subject of sexual harassment

grabbed news headlines. Everyone began discussing this issue and

emotions ran high. Judge Clarence Thomas was nominated to be a Supreme

Court Justice, which is America’s highest court, and Supreme Court

Justices have their jobs for life. They cannot be fired. Before a

person can be made a Justice, he or she must be questioned and

approved by

Congress.

Judge Thomas was ounce the head of a U.S. agency called the

EEOC. The EEOC makes sure everyone is treated fairly when applying

for a job. It also enforces laws against sexual harassment. Anita

Hill is a law professor who worked with Judge Thomas at the EEOC many

years ago. A few weeks into the Congressional Questioning she came

forward and accused Thomas of sexual harassment. She claimed that he

used to constantly ask her for dates and spoke to her about

pornographic films he had seen. Anita Hill said that she was deeply

offended by these remarks but felt that she could not complain.

Clarence Thomas was her boss, and she thought that her career could be

in trouble if she made a fuss.

Anita Hill was a very believable witness. But Judge Thomas

denied her charges in the strongest possible terms. Who was telling

the truth? The country was divided. But the issue was being

discussed everywhere. Women from all across the nation told of their

experiences with sexual harassment. And many men admitted being

insensitive to this issue.

Finally, the senate voted to approve Judge Thomas. But the

vote was close. Many senators had doubts about Thomas’s character.

Others did not the, Thomas’s career should be destroyed because of one

person’s story. They said there was not enough evidence to prove

there was wrongdoing. In the end, everyone agreed that sexual

harassment is a serious problem everyone must become more sensitive

to. (Kolbert pg 3)

It’s important to know that men have trouble too. Women are

not the only victims of sexual harassment. More and more men are

being harassed in the workplace, classrooms, and locker rooms.

Whoever is in the position of power tends to be the harasser. Men can

be victims of both woman and other men

Sexual harassment is very wide spread, but there are ways of

avoiding it, such as: Keeping everything strictly on a business level.

If working in the same room as the harasser, create a barrier between

the two work stations with a desk or file cabinet, etc. Do not ask for

personal favors or special treatment from the harasser so that he

won’t feel he is owed anything. Do not talk about anything personal.

Sexual harassment is always wrong. No one deserves it. And

it is always hurtful to the victim. Sexual harassment is a major

social problem facing government agencies, schools, and businesses

today, but if everyone confronts this problem, men and women would be

able to work better together at school and at work, and men and women

would be able to build less stressful relationships